Six people involved in the case of a woman who was confined with an iron chain around her neck were given prison terms by a court in Jiangsu province on Friday.
In January 2022, video footage of the chained and mentally ill woman, wearing light clothing and being held in a dilapidated hut in Fengxian county of Xuzhou, Jiangsu, stirred heated discussion on Chinese social media. Some information said she was a mother of eight.
A previous investigation by police confirmed the woman's name as Xiaohuamei, which translates as "Little Plum Blossom", and that she was from Yunnan province.
Authorities in Jiangsu also disclosed that Xiaohuamei was a victim of human trafficking and married a man in the county in 1998.
On Friday, the Xuzhou Intermediate People's Court announced punishments for six people and disclosed more details about the case.
Dong Zhimin, who tied Xiaohuamei's neck with ropes and iron, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison for the crime of maltreatment, with another three-year sentence for unlawful detention. In combination, he was given a nine-year prison term, according to the court's ruling.
The court also handed down sentences ranging from eight to 13 years plus fines to five other defendants — Shi Lizhong, Sang Heniu, Tan Aiqing, Huo Yongqu and Huo Fude — for the crime of women trafficking.
A court investigation found that Shi and Sang abducted Xiaohuamei and took her to Donghai county in Jiangsu from Yagu, a village in Yunnan, in early 1998, and then they sold her to a man surnamed Xu for 5,000 yuan ($730).
Xiaohuamei disappeared in May 1998 after living with Xu for about five months, the court said.
The woman was found by Tan and his wife surnamed Li in Xiayi county, Henan province, in June that year, and the couple sold her to Huo Yongqu and Huo Fude for 3,000 yuan, it said.
Huo Yongqu and Huo Fude took Xiaohuamei to Fengxian county, and finally sold her to Dong Zhimin and his father.
According to the court, Xiaohuamei was able to take care of herself and talk with others when she arrived in Dong's family, but sometimes she had a dull look in her eyes and strange smiles.
In 1999, Dong Zhimin and Xiaohuamei gave birth to their first child, and they had seven other children from 2011 to 2020, the court said.
After the woman gave birth to her second and third children in 2011 and 2012, her mental condition worsened, and the illness became more serious after she gave birth to her sixth child in 2017, it said.
Dong Zhimin used iron, strips of clothing and rope to tie up, abuse and detain Xiaohuamei from July 2017 until the case was reported, it said, adding that Xiaohuamei's diet and daily life could not be guaranteed during the period, making her live in a poor environment without water, electricity and sunlight.
The court pointed out that Dong seriously harmed the woman, adding that she has schizophrenia.
"Dong Zhimin should be punished, as his behavior that abused his family member in a serious situation and unlawfully detained her has made Xiaohuamei's mental disorder irreversible and caused her heavy damage," the court said.
In addition, the five other defendants who trafficked the woman deserved punishment because their acts brought serious negative effects, it added.
It revealed that seven people, including the five, participated in the trafficking, though their offenses were past the time limit for criminal prosecution in accordance with the law.
But prosecutors in Xuzhou initiated the prosecution against the five traffickers in Xiaohuamei's case again after getting approval from the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the country's top procuratorate, due to their bigger roles in the case, and also aimed to strictly combat women trafficking nationwide, it said.
Considering the minor role of two others in the trafficking, they were not prosecuted this time, it added.
Teng Xiaoting, a doctor who helped treat Xiaohuamei, told Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday that Xiaohuamei has been provided medicines and psychological assistance over the past year. "Now, her illness has been controlled, and she can get dressed and eat with the help of nurses and doctors," Teng said.
"She can communicate with us simply, but is still cognitively impaired," she added.
The oldest son of Xiaohuamei said that her mother can call his name, noting that the local government has offered child assistance for his younger sisters and brothers.
Sun Wenhua, vice-mayor of Xuzhou, told Xinhua that they have learned from Xiaohuamei's case, and launched a campaign last year to help women and children in difficulties across Jiangsu.
"We've also established a long-term mechanism to protect the rights of women and children, such as setting up an early warning system to enhance their protection and increasing joint efforts against domestic violence," Sun added.
