10-year-old's tragic experience reveals child abuse problems(3)

NEEDY RESCUE

Yang has received donations totaling more than 20,000 yuan (3,255 U.S. dollars) from the public since her abuse was exposed. The Shitang Township Health Center has offered to cover her medical bills.

The local education bureau has appointed a teacher to provide her with psychological counseling.

Lawyer Sun Zhongwei with the Beijing Sun Zhongwei Law Firm said that while the assistance she has received is valuable, her case has revealed a brutal reality regarding the protection of minors.

Under the Law on the Protection of Minors, families, schools, societies and judicial organs are jointly obligated to protect minors.

"If one of the relevant parties were more responsible, the girl could have suffered less," said Sun.

The situation would've been different if villagers were brave enough to stand up to the father or if the police would have intervened, he said.

Sun said it is wrong to take a "none of my business" attitude toward child abuse.

"Such a mindset will create tolerance for domestic violence and inflict mental and physical damage on the victims," he added.

Under existing laws, child abuse constitutes a private prosecution case that requires victims to report abuse to the police first. This is problematic for children, as they are hardly able to contact police on their own.

Dr. Hu Jiang from the Law School of the Southwest University of Political Science and Law said the inefficient protection of minors is more related to poor enforcement than inadequate legislation.

Efforts are being made to find a custodian for Yang while she recovers. The local government is considering having her grandparents take care of her using stipends given by the local civil affairs department.

When asked if he would ask for her daughter's foregiveness, Yang Shihai said "I don't know if she would forgive me. I should not beat her and scald her. I do not deserve her."