This Photo Of Her Son Sleeping On A Cardboard Has Made The Mum Ashamed
Despite the family receiving help all due to the photo.
By Sadho Ram — 24 Sep 2016, 03:33 PM
Can unwanted attention on social media make you feel ashamed, despite it putting food on your plate and clothes on your children?
At least, that's what a mother from a Central Asian country feels, after a couple of photos of her son sleeping on a piece of cardboard in the town of Kara-Suu of Osh Region in south-western Kyrgyzstan went viral on Facebook earlier this week.
The photos of the sleeping boy, aged 3, were posted to Facebook along with the comment: "It would be good if this innocent child slept in a kindergarten or at home, instead of at the market"
Since the photos were posted, a furore erupted on Facebook
While users debated about poverty in Kyrgyzstan, many of them turned to blaming the mother for leaving her son to sleep on the street. Some even took to the government, criticising the authorities for the pitiful scene, reported BBC Trending.
However, amidst the furore, the photos of the sleeping boy has pushed many to demand that the President of Kyrgyzstan do something for the family.
According to reports, a string of promises has been made by government officials, among which is that the Kyrgyz government intends to take care of boy's fate.
Speaking to Sputnik Кыргызстан, the President's spokesperson, Almaz Usenov, said that Atambayev has instructed the government to study the situation with the boy.
But as it is with government promises, not all appear to have been delivered.
The boy's mother, identified as Zulfia, whose husband has moved to Russia to find work and support the financially struggling family, while speaking about the photos, confessed that she is "ashamed"
"Even if I am poor I look after my children. I am not lazy," Zulfia was quoted as saying by BBC Trending, which also reported her speaking about the story behind the photos: "My son fell asleep when I was working and I had no choice but to lay him on the ground in a safe place while I was busy with work. I lay a carton underneath him, he was only asleep for ten to fifteen minutes."
She also spoke about the help she has received so far:
"A minister came to my house and he brought boxes of food and blankets and clothes for my children, raincoats and boots and shoes, I very much appreciated this gesture from him. Apart from that, I haven't received any help," Zulfia says.
bbc.com