Video of Saudi father verbally abusing son sparks outrage

A video of a Saudi father verbally abusing his own son sparked outrage in the kingdom after it went viral on Twitter over the weekend.

In the footage, the man, who later told his son he was playing a prank on him, is heard verbally abusing the child, telling him he and his sibling failed their school exams. 

"You and your brother failed all your exams. Did you hear what I said, you've both failed. I warned you before, if you fail, you're getting lashes. I am going to get my head garment and beat you with it now," he said. 

Towards the end of the video, the father films his son lying on a bed crying, as he tells the child to prepare for the lashes he's about to get. 

Seconds later, he starts laughing and tells his son he had actually passed all his exams and that the entire thing was "just a prank." 

After he uploaded the video to social media, the man's unacceptable behavior didn't go down well with thousands who condemned his actions and were shocked by them.

Just hours after it first started circulating online, authorities announced they had identified the father. 

In a statement he posted on Twitter, official spokesman for the kingdom's Ministry of Labor and Social Development, Khaled Aba Al Khail, said that a team of social workers is now handling the case. 

"In reference to the circulating footage showing a child being verbally abused by his father, Riyadh authorities and child protection services have identified the victim and taken over the case. The child has now been seen by psychologists. Authorities will take action against the father, ensuring that he does not attempt to hurt his son again." 

Aba Al Khail also added that the child was handed a certificate congratulating him on passing his exams.

"Why all this fuss, it's just a father pranking his kid. You just have nothing to do and are creating problems for fun." 

"To those saying this is normal, a father joking around with his kid. No, this isn't a joke, this is psychological abuse." 

"Instead of celebrating his success, you make him cry? Verbal abuse is enough to destroy a child and is criminalized in some countries. This kind of joke is unacceptable." 

"Even if he's the child's father, he has no right to treat him with such violence." 

"The man filming this has psychological problems and needs an immediate intervention... filming this child will affect his mental state even in the future."

"We truly thank Riyadh's social protection services for taking action."