Boy, 6, 'chained up like a dog' to a door by 'violent father' who punished him like this every time he misbehaved
A six-year-old boy, who was abused and chained up "like a dog" by his "violent father" in Ukraine, has been freed by authorities, according to reports.
Officials were shocked to find the child on his knees tethered with a chain to a door at his home in Aidar-Mykolaivka village, Luhansk region.
Lukansk regional police subsequently released the pictures of the boy and his condition, showing how a metal chain was tightly wrapped around his waist to restrict his movement.
Reports state that there was also evidence on his body that he was severely beaten, the father has reportedly admitted having hit the six-year-old for "educational purposes," the police said. According to a report in The Sun, the father told local media: “We chain him up because he does not react to our demands and damages things.” The boy was chained to the door every time he misbehaved, the parents added,
Local media reported that the authorities have taken the boy away from his 36-year-old father, and 27-year-old stepmother. One of the reports stated that "he was chained like a dog," according to the Daily Mail.
The prosecutor's office of the Lukansk region said that the father will be "stripped of his parental right" and now faces legal action of child abuse and "torture" with a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Police was alerted of the horrific incident after the boy told his friends about the abuse he faces at home, and they, in turn, informed their parents about it. His friends' parents reportedly called the police on them.
The boy, who said that he was often chained, is now undergoing checks in Novoaidarsky hospital, and will likely be moved to an orphanage.
A spokesperson from the prosecutor's office said: "The child will not be returned to this family. The boy was checked by doctors and is now provided with necessary psychological assistance."
Reports state that child welfare officials are now working to "deprive the father of his parental rights." The six-year-old was earlier removed from the family, however, his father was allowed to take him back from an orphanage after he divorced his wife and settled with his new wife.
