A father is receiving backlash for letting his young daughter bungee jump with him. (iStock)
An Instagram video showing a father complete a bungee swing jump while holding his 2-year-old daughter is the subject of serious flak online.
In the footage, Redha Rozlan, a Malaysian reality star, is shown standing on a bridge in Kuala Kuba Bharu.
He pats his 2-year-old daughter’s back reassuringly as a man yells, “Three … two … one.”
Suddenly, without warning, the pair is pulled backwards off the bridge, and the little girl, called Mecca Mikaela, clasps onto her father’s shoulders instinctively as they drop 196 feet into the gorge below.
It’s enough to turn an adult’s legs to jelly — let alone a small child.
While Mikaela’s father argues she was wearing a safety harness and correct “gear,” she was shown completing the jump without a helmet.
The adventure company responsible, Rentas Adventures, also shared a video with the caption, “Every girl may not be queen to her husband, but she is always a princess to her father.”
In response to a torrent of abuse, Rozlan was forced to defend his actions.
“Chill, guys,” he wrote.
“Don’t try with your kids if your kids [are] not ready for this.”
He explained that Mikaela was not coerced into the act and that she enjoyed it so much, she actually wanted to go again.
However, a child rights lawyer, Goh Siu Lin, said the child’s parents had “lacked proper parental judgment” by letting her complete such an act.
“Rope spring jump is an extreme sport and dangerous and there is a high likelihood of the motions in such an activity causing physical injury to her.
“I have never heard of any child of that age being allowed to participate in such extreme sports,” she added.
Free Malaysia Today reports that the man and company can be charged for endangering the youngster’s life.
Human rights lawyer Andrew Khoo said: “Yes, action can be taken under the Child Act. This clearly breached safety requirements, too.”
“The company operating the rope spring jump was also negligent for not preventing the parent from having the child tag along,” he said, in response to the 15-second video clip that has since gone viral.
A video previously posted by Rentas Adventures shows another parent completing a jump with his child in tow.
Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more.