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China Jails Six Over Woman Chained Up and Forced to Birth 8 Children
The court in China found the men guilty of torturing Xiao and forcing her to have eight children between 1999 and 2020.
A court in China has sentenced six people to prison in a high-profile human trafficking case involving a woman discovered chained in a remote village last year. The case shocked officials in China, prompting a crackdown on bride trafficking.
The woman’s husband was sentenced to nine years in prison for torture, cruelty, and holding her captive, while five others received sentences ranging from eight to thirteen years.
However, many people who reacted to the conviction on Friday believed the punishments were too light and that reforms were still needed.
In January 2022, a Chinese vlogger discovered Xiaohuamei living in a dirt-floor hut outside her family home in the village of Xuzhou province, with an iron chain around her neck. Her neck was wrapped in a scarf.
The vlogger’s video from Fengxian county went viral, and he expressed concerns about human trafficking and highlighted that Xiaohuamei, in her 40s, had apparently had eight children and appeared “dazed” and psychologically impaired.
The case captured the attention of the Chinese public, many of whom campaigned tirelessly online for the woman’s justice. Initially, local town officials ignored trafficking allegations, claiming that the pair had a valid marriage certificate and were simply having marital problems.
Authorities also reiterated her husband Dong Zhimin’s justification that he imprisoned Xiaohuamei because she had schizophrenia and was prone to violent episodes.
Such assertions, however, merely fueled public fury, escalating criticism that authorities had turned a blind eye to the woman’s treatment and, potentially, that of other trafficking victims..
It prompted a criminal investigation and police promises to crack down on human trafficking of women and children. Many elements of the case were confirmed for the first time at the trial this week.
The court found that Xiaohuamei was abducted as a teenager from her home region of Yunnan in 1998 and sold to a farmer in Donghai province for 5,000 yuan (about £360 or $600). at the time. A year later, she was sold to other human traffickers, this time a couple who arranged for her to be sold to Dong’s father.
According to the judges, Xiaohuamei was “basically able to take care of herself and communicate with others” when she first arrived at Dong’s house. Dong was found guilty of torturing and assaulting his wife, forcing her to produce 8 children, the first in 1999 and then seven more between 2011 and 2020.
Xiao’s schizophrenia worsened after her third child, and Dong became more abusive in reaction, according to the Intermediate People’s Court in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province..
In 2017, he relocated her from the family house to the outdoor hut, where he kept her bound with canvas ropes and chains; the cottage had no running water, electricity, or light, and she was frequently dehydrated.Meals were not eaten.
The presiding judge, Yao Hui, stated that Dong had never taken his wife to the doctor while she was sick and had frequently made her pregnant despite her condition..
The verdicts made it to the top of the popular media network Weibo on Friday, where it drew over 100 million clicks in the first hour..
The majority of people were outraged and disappointed by the sentencing, with one user writing, “Just this much for ruining someone’s life?”
Others commented that “it’s her entire life, but only nine years for him” and that “nine years isn’t enough time for her to give birth eight times.”
Others, though, pointed out that punishments for drug trafficking offences are normally limited to ten years.
Last year, activists advocated for legal reform, claiming that such small sentences did not dissuade traffickers and buyers in the bridal market.
“Amend the law, the sentence is too light,” one person said in an online conversation on Friday.
Some also inquired about Xiaohuamei’s present status, noting that she was removed from her village last year after her case became public and put to a medical facility, where she remains, according to Chinese media.
