Chinese woman jailed for thrashing adopted son

/Screen capture from Weibo

A Chinese woman who whipped her adopted son with a skipping rope for not finishing his homework has been jailed for six months.

The woman, known only as Li, of Nanjing, thrashed her adopted son, 9,

leaving terrible scars on his arms, legs and back.

Li was arrested after pictures of the boy's injuries were posted on the Internet.

"I whipped him because he did not finish his homework and told lies about it," Li told a court. "I'm not a bad mother. I just don’t want him to tell lies."

Li adopted the boy, who is her nephew, because his parents in a remote province wanted the boy to receive a better education in the city.

The court has sent the boy back to his family and ordered Li to serve six months in jail.

But some people argue that the sentence is lenient, saying she should have been jailed for at least six years.

This is one of the first adult convictions for child assault in China, because corporal punishment of a child is accepted there.