2007 Chinese slave scandal
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Chinese slave scandal 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 brickyard
s, and tortured by the owners of the brickyards. As of June 2007, approximately 550 people have been rescued from such situations.
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 brickyards. Due to scarcity of labor in Shanxi, some factories outsourced production to middlemen who recruited workers from other provinces, making huge profits for the bosses. For example, it was reported that Wang Bingbing, the owner of a brickyard located in Hongdong County, Linfen
, is the son of Wang Dongyi, a secretary of a CCP branch. The owner outsourced the brickyard to Heng Tinghan from Henan
. The brickyard produces 10,000 bricks per day. The market price of 10,000 bricks is about 2,000 to 3,000 yuan
; the owner, however, paid only 360 yuan to Heng per 10,000 bricks produced.
There have been continuing reports of cruelty committed at these illegal brickyards since 2004. On 7 May 2007, Henan TV Metro Channel reported the case of five minors around sixteen years old who had disappeared from the environs of Zhengzhou
Railway Station. Having heard of earlier instances of child labor
ers being kidnapped for brickyards in Shanxi, their parents suspected their children might be found there. Two months later these five were among fifty minors from Henan who were found at an illegal brickyard. Human traffickers had sold them to brickyards for 500 Yuan each.
On 10 May, reporters from Henan Television, accompanied by two parents, visited the sites of some illegal brickyards in Shanxi undercover. Reporters later visited many illegal brickyards in Yuncheng and Jincheng
. The conditions they found were clearly those of slavery.
s to watch their slaves. These slaves were forced to work over sixteen hours every day and any mistakes were punished by brutal torture.
One teenager who was rescued from an illegal brickyard said that, during his slavery, he had been taken to another brickyard by his boss to watch another slave being fed to a meat grinder.
and Premier Wen Jiabao
. Governor Yu Youjun
of Shanxi province offered an unprecedented self-criticism. 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
.
In June and July 2007, 570 people in Shanxi
and Henan
were freed by the Chinese government. Of those rescued, sixty-nine of them were children. In response, the Chinese government assembled a force of 35,000 police to check northern Chinese brickyards for slaves, sent dozens of brickyard supervisors to prison, punished ninety-five low level officials in Shanxi province for dereliction of duty, and sacked twenty-four. One brickyard foreman, Heng Tinghan, was sentenced to life in prison, and an employee of his, Zhao Tanbing, earned the death penalty for killing a mentally handicapped slave. However, no senior officials were held accountable.
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
, China. Thousands of Chinese people
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
including children had been forced to work as slaves in illegal brickyard
Brickyard
A brickyard is a place or yard where the earthen building material called bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from.-See also:...
s, and tortured by the owners of the brickyards. As of June 2007, approximately 550 people have been rescued from such situations.
Background
Shanxi is located in Loess PlateauLoess Plateau
The Loess Plateau , also known as the Huangtu Plateau, is a plateau that covers an area of some 640,000 km² in the upper and middle reaches of China's Yellow River. Loess is the name for the silty sediment that has been deposited by wind storms on the plateau over the ages...
in northern China which is known for its rich clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
deposits which are easier and cheaper to mine than coal. Through corrupt relationships with officials, slave "bosses" opened illegal brickyards. Due to scarcity of labor in Shanxi, some factories outsourced production to middlemen who recruited workers from other provinces, making huge profits for the bosses. For example, it was reported that Wang Bingbing, the owner of a brickyard located in Hongdong County, Linfen
Linfen
-Administrative divisions:The prefecture-level city of Linfen is divided in one district, two cities and fourteen counties. The information here presented uses the metric system and data from 2010 Census.-Pollution:...
, is the son of Wang Dongyi, a secretary of a CCP branch. The owner outsourced the brickyard to Heng Tinghan from Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
. The brickyard produces 10,000 bricks per day. The market price of 10,000 bricks is about 2,000 to 3,000 yuan
Renminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
; the owner, however, paid only 360 yuan to Heng per 10,000 bricks produced.
Revelation
The existence of illegal brickyards was first reported to authorities in 1998. On 1 May, Chen Jianjiao, a representative of the Shanxi People's Congress, received a telephone call from a laborer who had escaped from an illegal brickyard. The escaped man also wrote to the chairman of the Shanxi People's Congress. As a result, slave rescue operations were carried out by provincial government authorities without notifying local officials. Over 150 slaves, three of them child laborers, were freed from these illegal brickyards.There have been continuing reports of cruelty committed at these illegal brickyards since 2004. On 7 May 2007, Henan TV Metro Channel reported the case of five minors around sixteen years old who had disappeared from the environs of Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
Railway Station. Having heard of earlier instances of child labor
Child labor
Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
ers being kidnapped for brickyards in Shanxi, their parents suspected their children might be found there. Two months later these five were among fifty minors from Henan who were found at an illegal brickyard. Human traffickers had sold them to brickyards for 500 Yuan each.
On 10 May, reporters from Henan Television, accompanied by two parents, visited the sites of some illegal brickyards in Shanxi undercover. Reporters later visited many illegal brickyards in Yuncheng and Jincheng
Jincheng
Jincheng is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi province of north China. It is an industrial city in an area where coal mining is an important industry. It has a population of 2.2 million....
. The conditions they found were clearly those of slavery.
Labor conditions
The brickyard owners had purchased laborers from human traffickers to use as slaves. The slaves included children as young as eight years old and teenagers. Moreover, brickyard owners hired guards and wolfdogWolfdog
A wolfdog is a canid hybrid resulting from the mating of a wolf and a dog . The term "wolfdog" is preferred by most of the animals' proponents and breeders because the domestic dog recently was taxonomically recategorized as a subspecies of wolf...
s to watch their slaves. These slaves were forced to work over sixteen hours every day and any mistakes were punished by brutal torture.
One teenager who was rescued from an illegal brickyard said that, during his slavery, he had been taken to another brickyard by his boss to watch another slave being fed to a meat grinder.
Investigation
Hebei, Guangdong and Xinjiang provinces were also reported to have similar brickyards.Government response
As the scandal received immediate media attention, it also caught the eyes of the country's major leaders, including President Hu JintaoHu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
and Premier Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
. Governor Yu Youjun
Yu Youjun
Yu Youjun is a former politician of the People's Republic of China. Among other positions, he was once the mayor of Shenzhen, governor of Shanxi province, and secretary of the leading party group of the Ministry of Culture...
of Shanxi province offered an unprecedented self-criticism. 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
17th Party Congress
17th Party Congress may refer to:* The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China* The 17th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party...
.
In June and July 2007, 570 people in Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
and Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
were freed by the Chinese government. Of those rescued, sixty-nine of them were children. In response, the Chinese government assembled a force of 35,000 police to check northern Chinese brickyards for slaves, sent dozens of brickyard supervisors to prison, punished ninety-five low level officials in Shanxi province for dereliction of duty, and sacked twenty-four. One brickyard foreman, Heng Tinghan, was sentenced to life in prison, and an employee of his, Zhao Tanbing, earned the death penalty for killing a mentally handicapped slave. However, no senior officials were held accountable.