A child who was filmed being dragged around on a leash by his mother in the Philippines has been taken into care after there was an online backlash when she posted the footage online.

The woman handed herself in to social services when Facebook users lambasted her over the horrifying images, in which the naked young boy is crouched over a bowl of what appears to be dog food.

The photos were spotted by child abuse campaigner Lurleen Hilliard.

Lurleen, 46, from Dublin, is the founder of Nolonger Victims, a global organisation that educates people on all forms of abuse and helps to protect and rescue victims.

She said: 'I was trawling through Facebook on Monday when I came across the images she had posted on her page.

'Initially I was infuriated and my blood was literally at boiling point. This cannot be tolerated.

'If we tolerate this level of abuse and parents think they can post these images online in order to boost their page or to make themselves look good then all we're doing is saying that we support, and we're enabling, child abuse.

'What made me more concerned was if this is what she's happy to post on Facebook then what is she doing behind the scenes that nobody knows about? This is what she's willing to show us, what isn't she willing to show us?'

Lurleen alerted some law enforcement contacts in the US, who got in touch with counterparts in the Philippines.

She was told Tuesday morning that the mother had been taken into care.