Father Forces 7-Year-Old Child to Follow a Strict Chicken Breast Diet: Is It Child Abuse?

What a father who is addicted to the gym does to his children
Forced diet… What are the chances of punishment for child abuse?

 

“Our whole family is suffering”… A story posted on a community forum

A woman has shared her story of how her whole family suffers because her husband is obsessed with fitness.

The husband restricts his diet and enforces dietary restrictions and exercise on their elementary school-aged child, causing immense stress.

A post titled “Our whole family is suffering because of my muscle-building husband” was posted on Nate Pann on the 23rd, drawing much attention.

The author, Mrs. A, said, “My husband has been obsessed with fitness and building his body for the past two years. He enjoys exercising, which is fine, but he insists that the entire family eat according to his diet at every meal. I wish he would do his thing and let the rest of us eat comfortably and rest at home.”

She continued, “I used to cook, but these days, he says my food is too salty and spicy. He cooks himself and forces me and the children to eat it. The children barely eat because they don’t like the food he makes.”

According to Mrs. A, the menu her husband prepares consists of salad, chicken breast, eggs, sweet potatoes, and rice made with 100% oats.

Mrs. A said, “My husband insists that this diet is healthy and that children’s eating habits should be established from a young age. He even tells them to eat salad without dressing. Our children are just in elementary school’s first and third grades.”

She added, “The children keep leaving food uneaten, getting scolded, and crying. He doesn’t even let us eat out or order delivery.” She also said there was an incident where he scolded her after finding out she had secretly fed the children ramen.

Image created with the AI image generation program ‘Bing Image Creator’ to help understand the article / MS Bing Image Creator

She vented, “He also forces them to exercise every evening. The children need time to calm down before bed, but he keeps making them exercise at night so they can’t sleep. The younger one even started sleepwalking, which never happened before. Still, he insists that exercise is always good and continues to make the children exercise after he gets home from work.”

She said, “Maybe it’s because their stomachs are cold from that diet, but they get sick easily. I don’t know if it’s because of their eating habits, but the smell of their farts and feces has gotten terrible. It’s also a problem that my husband spends too much money on supplements and food to maintain his exercise and diet.”

Mrs. A said, “The most serious problem now is that my husband has become interested in raw food or something, and he’s been forcing me and the children to eat soaked brown rice. We can’t live like this. It combines raw brown rice, vegetables, chicken breast, and eggs but is not seasoned and inedible.”

She revealed her story online: “My husband was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago. He insists on exercise and dietary therapy because the children are also at risk, but it’s too much for the children who are still growing. I need someone to judge who is in the wrong.”{vi67}

 

People enraged by the story… claims of child abuse

Netizens who read the post heavily criticized Mrs. A’s husband. Excessive dietary restrictions during a child’s growth period can hinder growth and cause future health problems due to nutritional imbalance. Some opinions forcing one’s own will on the family’s life can be considered domestic violence.

Netizens said, “During the growth period, you should eat a balanced diet and exercise moderately,” “They are still young children. What is he doing at a time when they should be growing,” “Your wife and children are not your property,” “That’s child abuse,” “There’s no other torture,” “So what’s the use of having a healthy body? The stress will be enormous….”, “Do you have to hit to be domestic violence?”, “I’m so angry. If the dad is that bad, mom, please fight and protect the children,” “Just do it yourself,” “You seem to need professional counseling.”

One netizen warned, “Consuming raw brown rice can cause diarrhea or side effects in people with weak stomachs. Some sugar and salt are necessary for the body, and if you eat such a diet without any seasoning, it could be life-threatening,” and urged Mrs. A and her husband to stop immediately.{vi86}

 

Is the act of excessively restricting a child’s diet… considered child abuse?

According to the Child Welfare Act, child abuse refers to physical, psychological, or sexual violence or cruelty by an adult, including a guardian, that harms a child’s health or welfare or hinders normal development, as well as abandonment or neglect by a child’s guardian. Active abusive actions and passive ones such as simple corporal punishment, repetitive nagging, and discipline that infringe on a child’s rights and welfare can all be considered child abuse.

Acts such as not providing food that affects growth and development and starving a child can be considered a kind of ‘neglect’ if the guardian does not provide necessary food, medical measures, etc., and leaves the child in a dangerous environment.

Suppose a parent neglects basic protection, care, treatment, and education, including food for the child. In that case, the abusive parent can be punished under the Child Welfare Act and the Special Act on Punishing Child Abuse Crimes (Child Abuse Punishment Act). Even if there was no intention or purpose to abuse the child, the act or nonfeasance that can cause harm to the child’s mental health, growth, and physical development could be a sufficient reason for punishment as long as the risk or possibility of harm can be recognized.

Physical violence, emotional abuse, and neglect of a child can result in imprisonment for up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50 million won (about $42,000).

Even if you do not act directly, you can be punished similarly if you condone or ignore it.

By. Kim Hye Min