Horrified onlookers restrain mum as she batters her son in the face with belt in the middle of shopping centre

A shocking video shows the moment onlookers are forced to restrain a mother after she hit her son around the face with a belt.

Outraged shoppers in a mall were horrified when they saw the woman attacking her small child.

Footage shows the mum walking with what appears to be a belt in her hand.

She then finds her son standing with what is believed to be his father and launches the attack on her boy as others stare on dumbfounded. It is believed the footage was shared online by an outraged eyewitness.

The youngster is seen crying but unashamed, the mum begins to argue with others who start to show upset at what they have witnessed.

It is reported the arguments got so heated about the whipping that a physical fight almost broke out.

Sources at the scene say emergency services were called and police arrived "within minutes" to calm the rising tensions.

The mum, who has not been named, has since been arrested and charged with child abuse.

The shocking footage was uploaded to social media after the incident which is reported to have happened in the Mall Real Plaza centre in the city of Arequipa, in the south-western Peruvian department of the same name.

Viewers were quick to express their disgust over the public case of child abuse with 'Alejandro Omar Perales' writing: "Humans, the only thing they know how to do is hit, mistreat, hurt, live life in a very strict way."

'Valeria Bernales Moreno' added: "Blessed God, if she hits him like this in the public, imagine how she hits him at home."