A Qatar-based daily newspaper chose to solely report on people who blamed the parents of the child.

Local social media users have expressed their outrage at Al-Sharq newspaper for what appeared to be ‘insensitive’ reporting over the horrifying incident of a child who fell at a mall in Doha.

The young child fell from the second floor at the newly-inaugurated Place Vendôme over the weekend. Images of the alleged scene of the incident have been circulating online showing that the balcony was exposed and covered with a curtain. This gave the illusion of a secured balcony.

The child was immediately rushed to hospital and is currently receiving treatment.

The mall issued a statement saying “We remain diligent in our commitment to providing a safe environment in accordance with the highest international standards.”

The management has also assured that it is working closely with the relevant authorities in charge of the investigation to uncover the circumstances of the incident.

A headline by the local newspaper has pointed the blame towards the parents of the child by questioning their presence in the incident. The article’s headline read:
“After news of a child falling from the walls of a mall, where is the responsibility of the parents?”

The article has remained on the website whilst the tweet has appeared to be deleted from their social media platform.

“Shame on you. Shouldn’t the one who wrote an article apologise and submit his resignation?” said one Twitter user.

Another said,”Instead of blaming the mall’s management and safety and security measures, we blame the parents and hold them responsible!?”

The article looks into social media reactions, where some questioned the absence of the parents on site as others called for the need to implement safety measures at malls.

“We blame the parents when the cause of the child’s fall is their negligence, but when there are shortcomings from the place itself in terms of safety, the mall management bears responsibility for that,” said another person on Twitter.

Onw tweet read: “By what right does a journalist have the right to blame the children’s parents in such an embarrassing situation! Did he not think before writing this article about the tragedy of the child’s parents or the pain and tragedy of the child’s mother and the heartbreak of his father! An apology must be made to the parents of the child and the author of the article must be held accountable.”

While many found it appalling that the blame is placed on the parents of the child, some defended them. Although others posted that the parents should have been more cautious and “responsible.” The Al-Sharq article chose to report entirely on the people who protested at what was described as their “lack of responsibility.”

Doha News has contacted Place Vendôme and is awaiting a response.