Video Of Asian Child Being Tortured Goes Viral On Facebook, ‘Does Not Violate Community Standards’

Yesterday, a video of a young Asian child being tortured by other children began to circulate on Facebook after being posted by a Vietnamese artist called “Lil Shady.” In the video, a young boy who appears to be under the age of five is being beaten, tied with string, and burned with cigarettes by older boys who are laughing and talking in another language. The child appears well-dressed and clean, but the nearly three minute video appears to take place in an isolated area, such as a warehouse or storeroom, with no adults heard or seen on the video.

The page of Lil Shady is apparently some type of Vietnamese celebrity, although translation is difficult. The caption above the video says “I did not capture this video,” and then there appears to be much debate in Vietnamese over the nationality of the children involved, with many comments saying the children are Chinese, not Vietnamese. The heart-wrenching video of the torture has amassed over 14 million views as of this morning, with people of many cultures and countries replying in their own languages, so translation and communication between people is difficult as many seem to ask the same questions: who is the child, and how did “Lil Shady” get the video in order to post it? It appears that “Lil Shady” never actually answers that question.

The video was reported to Facebook for graphic and violent nature, but a report from Facebook said that the video “did not violate community standards.” This is not a unique situation, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, in which Facebook said that a video of a kitten being burned alive did not violate community standards. However, Facebook has banned or removed pictures of amputee stumps or breastfeeding photos. There was much discussion amongst viewers over whether sharing or not sharing the video was most appropriate, as sharing the video gives the bullying children a platform and attention, but it also may raise awareness and someone may recognize the child.

The video raises questions about anonymity and social media when crimes are committed — how can people report a crime when they don’t know the origin of said crime? If such videos are allowed on Facebook, does Facebook have any responsibility for attempting to locate the origin on the user who posts the violent material? Although Facebook says it does not violate community standards, today, the video has a warning on it that says “it is graphic and may offend some people.”

Vietnamese media has apparently picked up on the story, with pictures of still frames of the video and an article about the video.