A three-year-old Taiwanese boy was found tied up in an enclosed balcony in Hsinchu county, naked and starving, in a serious case of child abuse that has shocked the island.

According to local media outlets, the emaciated boy was discovered by his mother last Saturday afternoon (Sept 22), with cable ties wound around his upper arm and his body covered in bruises. He also had a wound in his left eye.

When his mother cut the cable ties to release him, the boy was so hungry that he had picked up his faeces on the floor and ate them, reported Taiwanese news website ETtoday.net.

He was taken to hospital for treatment immediately and is now under the care of his mother.

The boy's parents are divorced and he is believed to be living with his father and his father's partner in the flat. The couple have three children.

After they separated, the boy and his four-year-old brother lived with their father, according to newspaper China Times.

Their nine-year-old sister lives with their mother, who said that she could see her two sons only occasionally.

That day, she decided to visit her son, as she was concerned about his well-being and the living conditions of his home.

According to Liberty Times, the father claimed that he had disciplined his child for wetting the bed recently.

He had allegedly used his bare hands and slippers to hit the boy's bottom and thighs.

The police told China Times that the injuries on the boy's body were likely caused by a blunt object.

The wound in his eye could have been caused by the impact of his head hitting against the wall, they said, adding that further investigations into the case of child abuse are under way.