Shocking Video of Baby Being Slapped Raises Awareness Ahead of 16 Days of Activism

A shocking video has gone viral around the world, exposing horrific child abuse, coincidentally as the world prepares for ’16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children’, which kicks off on Friday 25 November.

South Africans on social media have been sharing the video under the mistaken assumption that it took place in SA, with viewers mistaking the racial identities of the woman and the baby she is abusing.

The traumatic event actually took place in Kazakhstan. It was reportedly filmed by the eight-year-old daughter of a friend of the woman in the video.

Police confirmed to British newspapers that the woman, from Uzbekistan, has been arrested and admitted her guilt. She is likely to face charges of child abuse as well as illegally crossing the border into Kazakhstan.

In the horrific video the woman, named as Aygul Kozhabaevna, is seen slapping a crying baby in the face 42 times. British newspapers said the incident took place in August in Almaty, but was only recently shared online. It’s alleged that the woman is the mother of the child.

Well known South Africans, including a film maker, had shared the video which generated insulting comments comparing this to the coffin video (which has resulted in the arrest of the two perpetrators).

Although this did not occur in SA, child abuse is a serious issue in the country. A study by the SA Medical Research Council found that a total of 1,018 child homicides were recorded in South Africa in 2009 alone, with 454 being fatal child abuse cases.

President Jacob Zuma will on Friday, 25 November 2016, launch the ’16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children’ campaign at Lebowakgomo Civic Centre in Limpopo.

Below is a censored version of the video (the original is too graphic) – it is still upsetting: