A woman named Yu Huaying has been sentenced to death in China for her involvement in trafficking 11 children, according to a verdict revealed the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court in Guizhou province. The case dates back to the 1990s.
Yu Huaying, along with her partner surnamed Gong, abducted children in southwestern China, including Chongqing and Guizhou, and sold them to buyers in Handan city in northern Hebei province between 1993 and 1996. Yu’s partner Gong has since passed away. Two other individuals who acted as intermediaries in the child trafficking network will also face separate court actions.
The court sentenced Yu to death due to the “extremely significant” social harm caused her crimes and the severity of the criminal circumstances. Despite this, Yu has expressed her intention to appeal the decision instead of confessing her crimes and expressing remorse.
Yu, who was born in 1963 and grew up in a poor town in southwestern Yunnan province, had her first involvement in human trafficking when she sold her own son in 1992. The child was not among the 11 victims she is accused of trafficking. Yu and Gong continued their criminal activities after Gong faced business setbacks. They would live in an area for a while, get to know the people, and then target a child. Yu would lure the children away using snacks. Most victims came from low-income families whose parents were unable to provide adequate attention due to their long working hours.
This is not the first time Yu has been detained for similar crimes. In the 2000s, she was arrested twice for trafficking children. One crime dating back decades was uncovered when a girl abducted in the 1990s found her biological sister, who provided important clues that led to Yu’s arrest.
Child trafficking is a long-existing problem in China, with numerous cases reported over the years. From 2010 to 2019 alone, there were 112,703 cases of trafficking in women and children nationwide. The issue has gained more attention in recent times due to high-profile cases, including that of a mentally-ill woman named Xiaohuamei who was found living in a shed with chains after giving birth to eight children.
Sources:
– Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court in Guizhou province (via official WeChat account)
– Beijing News Radio
– China’s National Bureau of Statistics
