China Jails Man for 9 Years in ‘Chained Woman’ Scandal

A Chinese man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for the abuse of a female victim of human trafficking. In early 2022, the mother of eight was found chained in a hut in eastern China. The “chained woman” scandal has shocked both China and the international community.

Dong Zhimin, a 56-year-old villager from Jiangsu Province, was found guilty on charges of abuse and unlawful detention by a city court in Xuzhou City of Jiangsu on April 7. Another five individuals involved in abducting, trafficking, and selling the “chained woman” were sentenced to between eight and thirteen years in prison.

The video of the “chained woman” went viral on Chinese social media on the eve of the Chinese New Year in January, 2022. It showed that a woman in Feng County of Xuzhou city was chained in a cold, doorless hut, with a locked chain around her neck, and mumbling, “This world doesn’t want me anymore.” It was later revealed that the “chained woman” was a victim of human trafficking: She had been bought by the Dong family and detained for 20 years, and gave birth to 8 children in total. She was also suffering from mental problems due to the long years of abuse. Local officials had issued a marriage certificate between the “chained woman” and one of the men in the Dong family—Dong Zhimin.

The incident triggered public anger and attracted global attention. It also drew particular attention to the issue of the systemic trafficking of women and girls in communist China. Under the pressure of public opinion, Jiangsu officials announced that they would conduct an investigation.

Since the video’s appearance, Jiangsu authorities have issued 5 contradictory statements on the case. The exact identity of the “chained woman” and details surrounding the case have remained unclear.

The court verdict identified the “chained woman” as Xiaohuamei, which is the same name as that recorded by the Jiangsu officials. According to the court verdict, Xiaohuamei was abducted in early 1998 in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, and sold for 5000 yuan ($728) to a villager in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province to be his “wife.” She was later resold by traffickers to villagers in different areas. In June 1999, she was sold for 5000 yuan to Dong Zhimin and his father, who later passed away.

Dong’s family kept her in their house in Dongji Village so that they could “live together.” From 1999 to 2020, she gave birth to 8 children. The verdict described how, from July 2017 to the time when the crime was exposed, Dong Zhimin abused the woman and detained her in chains, tying her up with ropes and chaining her by the neck. The “chained woman” was said to be suffering from schizophrenia.

The verdict stated that Dong Zhimin, Xiaohuamei’s so-called “husband,” had committed two crimes: abusing a “family member” and illegal detention.

Sentence Too Light

After the verdict, many posts on Chinese social media pointed out that the sentence for such a heinous crime was too light. Some people posed questions in their posts, such as “Can a woman who is bought and sold be considered a family member?,” and “Will the ‘marriage’ between the two be dissolved?”

One post read that, “The most horrific thing about the ‘mother of eight’ case verdict is that the description of the case has already detailed how the ‘chained woman’ was abducted and sold, changed hands from one buyer to another, and was finally sold to Dong Zhimin and his father. However, at the final sentencing, Dong Zhimin was found guilty for the severe abuse of a ‘family member.’ I think this is a disgrace to China’s legal system, and a shame to all legal workers in this country.”

Chi Susheng, a well-known Chinese lawyer and a representative of the 3rd National People’s Congress, posed a question about the defendant: “Why wasn’t he convicted of rape?” Li Zhuang, another renowned Chinese lawyer, also stated that “the sentencing for abuse is much lighter than for rape. It’s too light.”

Lingering Doubts Over Case

To date, official reports have only disclosed the administrative disciplinary actions against the 17 village- and county-level officials who are involved in the case.

However, the details of the case are still unclear, including the exact identity of the “chained woman.” Members of the public have reported that the appearance of the “chained woman” was completely different from that of Xiaohuamei, the officially named victim. Meanwhile, families of other missing girls and human trafficking victims have claimed to have identified the “chained woman” as their kin—with some claiming the woman is actually Li Ying, a schoolgirl from Sichuan province who was abducted in 1996.

However, a number of people in mainland China have been arrested by police for revealing knowledge about the case that differs from the official version, as well as for making inquiries.

Current affairs commentator Qin Peng pointed out on his talk show for NTD that the the key issue of the verdict is not the sentencing, but the fact that the verdict is fundamentally illegal. “What people should ask most is who is the ‘chained woman?’ Where is she now? What are the crimes of those CCP officials who persecuted her, including officials at all levels—from the local to the central government—behind the five official announcements?

“Apparently, the authorities deliberately avoided these most important questions. Therefore, this is a political verdict with the sole goal of maintaining the Chinese regime’s stability. It doesn’t have any legitimacy,” he said.

Qin pointed out the ulterior motive of the regime behind the verdict. “Moreover, the authority’s verdict, I think, contains a seriously evil intention: to legalize a ‘marriage’ without the woman’s consent from beginning to end that was formed entirely by kidnapping, buying and selling, rape, illegal detention, and torture. Its goal is to legalize other tens of millions of ‘marriages’ in China that are based on illegal kidnapping and human trafficking.”

Xiao Lusheng contributed to this report.