2007 Chinese slave scandal
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The 2007 Chinese slave scandal (Chinese: 山西黑砖窑案; literally "Shanxi Black Brickyard Incident") was a series of forced labour cases in Shanxi, China. Thousands of Chinese people including children had been forced to work as slaves in illegal brick kilns, and tortured by the owners of the kilns. As of June 2007, approximately 550 people have been rescued from such situations.
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[edit] Background
Shanxi is located in Loess Plateau in northern China which is known for its rich clay deposits which are easier and cheaper to mine than coal. Through corrupt relationships with officials, slave "bosses" opened illegal brick kilns. Due to low population in Shanxi, some factories outsourced production businesses to middlemen who recruited workers from other provinces, making huge profits for the bosses. It was reported that Wang Bingbing, the owner of a kiln located in Hongdong County, Linfen, is the son of Wang Dongyi, one of secretary of CCP branch. The owner outsourced the kiln to Heng Tinghan from Henan. The kiln produces 10,000 bricks per day. Market price of 10,000 bricks is about 2,000 to 3,000 Yuan, the owner, however, just paid 360 Yuan to Heng per 10,000 bricks produced.
[edit] Revelation
Incidents about illegal brick kilns were first reported at 1998. On May 1, Chen Jianjiao, representative of Shanxi People's Congress, received a phone call from a laborer who escaped from an illegal kiln seeking help. He had also written the chairman of Shanxi People's Congress. Later, slave rescue operations were carried out by provincial government authorities without notifying officials of cities and counties. Over 150 slaves, including 3 child laborers, were saved from these illegal kilns.
There have been continuing reports of cruelty committed at these illegal kilns since 2004. On May 7, 2007, Henan TV Metro Channel reported five children (about 16 years of age) were lost around Zhengzhou Railway Station. Their parents thought these children were kidnapped to brick kilns in Shanxi. After searching for 2 months, about 50 children from Henan were saved, and it was revealed that human traffickers sold their kidnapped children to brick kilns at 500 Yuan each.
On May 10, reporters of Henan TV accompanied by two parents visited these illegal kilns in Shanxi secretly. Reporters later visited many illegal kilns in Yuncheng and Jincheng. They understood the situation of slavery there.
[edit] Labor conditions
The kiln owners had purchased laborers from human traffickers to use as slaves. The slaves mainly consisted of minors like children and teenagers, who were easier to control. Moreover, kiln owners hired guards and wolfdogs to watch their slaves. These slaves were forced to work over 16 hours every day and any mistakes were punished by brutal torture.
One teenager who was rescued from an illegal kiln said that, during his slavery, he had been taken to another kiln by his boss to watch another slave being brutally killed.
[edit] Investigation
Hebei, Guangdong and Xinjiang provinces were also reported to have similar brick kilns.
[edit] Government response
As the scandal received immediate media attention, it also caught the eyes of the country's major leaders, including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. The scandal was very damaging for Premier Wen's reputation as a "savior for the underprivileged," and has tarnished the Chinese government's reputation internationally. Governor Yu Youjun of Shanxi province offered an unprecedented self-criticism. The scandal reflects that the rift between the country's rich and poor is not closing, but dividing more quickly than before. Yu resigned as part of a wider reshuffle on 30 August 2007, but (as of early September 2007) it appears likely that he will be promoted after the 17th Party Congress.[1]
In June and July 2007, 570 people in Shanxi and Henan were freed by the Chinese government.[2] Of those rescued, 69 of them were children.[3] In response, the Chinese government assembled a force of 35,000 police to check northern Chinese brick kilns for slaves, sent dozens of kiln supervisors to prison, punished 95 officials in Shanxi province for dereliction of duty, and sentenced one kiln foreman to death for killing an enslaved worker.[2]
[edit] Blue Ribbon Campaign
A group of lawyers from Guangdong raised "Blue Ribbon Campaign" on the Internet to let the public understand the situation of children who are kidnapped and taken to these brick kilns.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Chow Chung-yan (2007-09-05). "Official sacked over Sars fiasco vows to do better in Shanxi". South China Morning Post: A01.
- ^ a b "Convictions in China slave trial", BBC, July 17, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
- ^ Zhe, Zhu. "More than 460 rescued from brick kiln slavery", China Daily, June 15, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
