A man in China reportedly refused to care for his five-year-old son after discovering he is not his biological offspring, leaving the child at preschool. The little boy, identified in local media reports by the pseudonym "Xiao Rui," was abandoned at his kindergarten school last week by his father after he dropped the child off for the day.
When no one arrived to collect the young kid that afternoon, staff contacted the boy's parents and relatives, but none of them wanted him back. According to teacher Chen, Xiao Rui was enrolled at the kindergarten in April this year.
New York Post reported that the child's father brought him to the kindergarten in Guangxi province, southern China, and picked him up at the end of each school day.
The boy's father, who was not named, told the teacher he would not come for Xiao Rui because he had discovered that the kid was not his son after getting a paternity test. The father then told teacher Chen that the boy was now the problem of the school.
Dad packs mobile phone and change of clothes in boy's bag
Teacher Chen later discovered that Xiao Rui's dad had packed a mobile phone and a change of clothes in the boy's bag on the last day he dropped him off at the kindergarten. The father continued communicating with the school but refused to collect the boy.
When the teacher went to the house where the kid had lived with his parents, she found the residence empty. The whereabouts of the child's mother are also unknown, according to news.com.au. Teacher Chen asked for help from the local police, who contacted Xiao Rui's grandfather and uncle. Both of them also declined to take the little child.
According to Nanning Radio and Television Station, Xiao Rui's mom was expected to pick him up this week. The alarming news has triggered outrage in China, with many people shocked by the behavior of the kid's parents.
Dad cannot be cited for abandonment as he is not the biological father
The father has not committed the crime of abandonment under Chinese law because the boy is not his biological son, according to the South China Morning Post. If the birth mother refuses to raise her kid, however, she would be committing a crime and could be placed under detention or even be jailed for up to five years.
Parents abandoning their kids is not uncommon in China, but the number of orphans has declined in the country in recent years. Local police in Hainan province, southern China, investigated a mother two weeks ago after allegedly throwing her newborn baby into a rubbish bin in front of a hotel.
Last month, medical workers in Shanghai saved a newborn baby after she was left in a public toilet. According to official data, there were about 193,000 orphans in China in 2020, 17 percent lower than in 2019.
