HK girl, 10, seen carrying bags of beers, police arrest mum & stepdad on suspicion of child abuse

The parents of a 10-year-old Hong Kong girl have been arrested by the local police's child abuse investigation unit after a video of her struggling to carry bags of beers circulated on social media.

At one point in the video, bystanders asked why she was carrying so much on her own, prompting a man to grab one of the bags frustratedly and calling the girl "useless".

The man, who is reportedly the girl's stepfather, explained that he made her carry the bags as a way to build muscles.

Struggling

In the video, the 10-year-old could be seen struggling as she carried two plastic bags full of what appeared to be beer cans.

She had on her back an unzipped school bag with two cans of beer stuffed in its side pouches.

At one point, one of the cans slipped out.

Along the way, the 10-year-old could be seen taking brief pauses and placing the bags on the ground.

The girl appeared to be accompanied by two adults, presumably her parents.

According to South China Morning Post, one video of the incident showed bystanders asking why the girl was carrying both bags of beer.

A man seen in the video then grabbed one of the bags from the girl while calling her "useless".

The man himself appeared to already be carrying a bag of beer.

Arrested by HK police's child abuse unit

Hong Kong police said they received reports about the video at about 10:30pm on Oct. 6, SCMP reported.

The girl's father, 38, and mother, 32, were subsequently arrested in Tuen Mun on Oct. 7 afternoon on ill-treatment suspicions.

Hong Kong police also said the 10-year-old was found without visible injuries.

The family reportedly told the media that the incident was a misunderstanding.

They pointed out that the man who was arrested was the girl's stepfather.

Explaining the incident, the stepfather said he had asked the 10-year-old to carry the bags as a way to build muscles.

He said he would use other methods in the future, SCMP wrote.

Girl said it's her first time carrying six packs

It appears this was not the first time the girl had carried beer, based on SCMP's report.

The girl commented that while she had carried two and four packs of beer in the past, this was her first time carrying six packs.

She also explained that the backpack seen in the video was damaged by herself and that her parents did care for her.

According to The Standard, the parents have been released on bail.

The local social welfare department has also stepped in to assess if the family requires assistance.