A video of a young girl being slapped in public sparked outrage earlier this month, and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said it has since acted to ensure the child's safety.
"MSF has taken the appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the child," said a ministry spokesman yesterday.
"The case has also been referred to a child protection specialist centre to ensure the child's well-being."
In a report in The New Paper on Nov 9, MSF said the police and ministry were investigating the incident.
In the 18-second clip taken on Nov 5, the girl, who looks to be of primary-school age, is seen kneeling next to a white car at the Ikea Tampines carpark.
A man, believed to be her father and standing next to a woman, points a finger at the girl before slapping her. The impact causes her to almost lose her balance.
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894
Number of cases of child abuse last year that were investigated by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, its figures online show. Of these, 373 were for physical abuse.
The girl remains kneeling as the man walks away, and he turns back to scold her before the clip ends.
The video was uploaded on citizen journalism website Stomp on Nov 7 and had been filmed by a passer-by who wanted to remain anonymous.
He said the woman seemed too scared to do anything, adding that he stopped the recording after suspecting that the man had noticed him.
The video drew plenty of reaction online, with at least one netizen reporting the incident to MSF.
MSF figures online show that it investigated 894 cases of child abuse last year, of which 373 were for physical abuse.
