'They raped my girl's body and soul'

By Cui Jia (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-19 08:23

Yuan Yunqin, the county's Party secretary of political science and law, said the crime was "more unforgivable than a murder", adding that he suspected the prostitution ring must have had good connections to operate for so long.

The hotel at the center of an alleged child prostitution ring involving at least 10 victims in Xishui county, Guizhou province. The gang leader, Yuan Li, who is accused of offering men sex with "backpack girls" in return for cash, was said to have used a room on the third floor. [China Youth Daily]

But he assured any protection the gang might have enjoyed in the past was gone now that a new head of the public security bureau had been appointed from the nearby city of Zunyi, which administers Xishui county, to seek any malpractice.

"The gang members might have known or bribed government officials. Maybe that's why the underage prostitution was not exposed sooner," he said. "Those people found to have neglected their duties will be punished.

"There might be more people involved in this case but it is really difficult to convict someone on sex-related charges, as it is hard to collect evidence recognized by a court."

However, although he agreed local governments should do more to protect teenage girls from the dangers of prostitution, he stressed policies would never replace the need for good parenting. "Without proper guidance from parents, the behavior of children can get out of control and they don't know who to turn to when they are in trouble," he added.

Xishui has a population of around 800,000, including more than 100,000 migrant workers, who are often forced to leave their children with a grandparent or other relatives as they move to another county or province for a job. The situation, he said, is having a massive effect on families and is creating a generation of children who receive little, if any, adult supervision.

The father of Kang Qian, a migrant worker in his 40s, said he felt partially responsible for his daughter's situation.

"I have to work away from home most of the time to support my family, but I've done everything I could," he said. "Believe it or not, I didn't know about what my daughter was involved in until the police told me. I cannot believe it had been going on so long.

"I used to be afraid she was taking drugs, as I knew some of her friends did, but this is a million times worse!"

He said his daughter had once disappeared for two months, causing panic in the family until her uncle bumped into her in Xishui. "I rushed to take her home. I cut her hair short and chained her to the radiator so she wouldn't run away again. I really have tried everything," said the distraught father.

His wife had also witnessed Kang Qian being threatened with a knife at the school gates when she went to collect her, he said. "We asked her if she was in some sort of trouble, she still said nothing. She was just too afraid.

"The gang definitely had connections, otherwise those government officials wouldn't have dared to do such horrible things without any concerns for being caught. It is only fair if they are all given the death penalty, they are beasts!"

Raising his voice, he added: "How can they not be charged with child rape? They didn't just rape my daughter's body, but also her soul."

At Yuhuai High School, where Kang Qian was a student, staff said they were unaware of the girl hunters stalking their prey at its school gates. "Some teachers did hear students talking about them, but we thought they were just joking," said a teacher surnamed Liu.

However, a pupil surnamed Wang, 14, who said the school had banned students from discussing the sensitive issue, added: "They (the hunters) were regulars at our school gates. I always tried to avoid eye contact with them so they wouldn't pick me. I feel really lucky that I wasn't one of the girls."

The scandal has prompted a provincial crackdown on forced prostitution of underage girls, which was launched on May 1.

Lin Lianhua, deputy secretary of the Party's political science and law committee in Guizhou, said he hoped the campaign would "bring an end to the kidnappings of young girls for good", adding the campaign would also target those who force minors to beg or commit other crimes.

However, a shop owner in Xishui, who said he was in his 50s, warned the deep-rooted problem of child prostitution in the province would not be an easy one to solve.

"Backpack girls were in fashion way before now. They've only found one gang, and God knows how many gangs like this there are in Xishui," he said.

Previous page 1 2 Next Page