https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMpqXVG52mM
If a child was being kidnapped in the middle of a street, in broad daylight, someone would step in… wouldn’t they?
Well according to a fucked up social experiment carried out in China, it seems that when bystanders see a young boy being chloroformed and dragged off, they do absolutely fuck and all.
The footage was filmed in Dapeng, China, with a young boy posing as the unsuspecting child victim while a man plays the kidnapper, the Daily Mail reports.
In the video we see the pair stage their kidnapping in various locations around the city while a hidden cameraman captures the reactions of those around them.
The first scene the shows boy struggling and crying as his kidnapper presses ‘chloroform’ into his face while a passing couple briefly stop, before continuing with their day.
The pair then carry out the act in front of a woman sitting on a bench, with the ‘kidnapper’ grabbing the boy with such force that he nearly falls over. But the woman doesn’t react to it, not even turning her head when the man makes of with the child.
In fact not once in the whole video does anyone try and intervene in the ‘kidnappings’ with pedestrians content to just keep themselves to themselves and get on with their lives.
While the video may have been a social experiment, the uploader has implored people to do more instead of remaining inactive saying a child’s life could hang in the balance.
Child abduction has been a long-standing problem in China and despite the best efforts of the authorities, the horrible practice is reportedly thriving.
According to the U.S. State Department 20,000 children are snatched every year, that’s 400 a week. However, Chinese state media admits that the figure could be as high as 200,000, according to the BBC.
Baby boys, who are preferred in China because they’ll ensure the family name remains intact, can sell for as much as £10,500.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.