Boiling water poured on her head; her mouth stitched together with fish wire; her fingers stabbed by needles... an 11-year-old girl in Guizhou province has been abused by her father in such ways for 5 years, inewsweek.cn reported on Monday.

The girl, called Xiaoli, is from Goupi village, Shichang township in Jinsha county, Bijie city in Guizhou province. She is now under treatment and her father has been detained by local police for further investigation, according to the report.

The cases of abuse were first reported by a villager who met Xiaoli on the street and found her body covered with scars, the report said.

Since 6 years ago, Xiaoli suffered massive abuse by her father, who sometimes hung her up and beat her with ropes and sticks, sometimes stabbed her arms and fingers with needles and always left her hungry. Her body is covered by scars with some already festering, and the top of her head now grows little hair after being scalded by boiling water, according to the admission records of the heath center where Xiaoli was sent for treatment.

Xiaoli was a “left-behind” child. She was living with her grandparents until 5 years old, when her parents came back home, the report said.

However, things did not work out as expected. Although Xiaoli did a lot of housework for the family, her father always had excuses to beat her.

Sometimes, when the girl went to her grandma’s home to escape, her father even beat his own mother. As for the reasons behind the abuse, the grandmother told the media that it might be because of discrimination against females, which is prevalent in rural China.

Xiaoli’s father was once investigated by the police when he poured boiling water onto the girl’s head for the first time. He explained that he was trying to remove the lice on the girl’s head. He was released eventually since the injury was not serious.

After that, Xiaoli’s father didn’t restrain himself and the abuse continued behind the family’s closed doors until it was recently discovered by the public.

According to Chen Yuefang, an official in Shichang township, the local health center treated Xiaoli’s injuries for free and the government will set up a special psychological counseling group to help her recover. Xiaoli’s grandparents have been appointed as her temporary guardians, the report said.

The case also drew attention on Sina Weibo - a micro blog service akin to China's take on Twitter. Many internet users reposted the news and condemned the father’s deeds. Some volunteers went to Shichang’s health center and made donations for the girl, according to a report on gog.com.cn.

Xiaoli has been sent to Zunyi city for further treatment, according to a post by the Xinhua News Agency on its Sina Weibo site Monday afternoon.

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