A Shanghai mother who forced her daughter to crawl on her knees on a cold night has been accused of abusive parenting.

The unidentified woman meted out the punishment in their residential compound at 9pm on January 6.

Passers-by who tried to intervene were berated by the mother.

A witness, surnamed Xu, said the girl stood up when she reached the compound’s entrance gate.

Xu said the mother complained that her family was heavily in debt after buying a flat to provide a better education for her daughter.