Zero tolerance ordered for crimes against minors
Updated: 2013-05-29 21:14
(Xinhua)
|
|||||||||
BEIJING - The Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Wednesday vowed "zero tolerance" of crimes infringing upon minors' rights such as child molestation.
With International Children's Day falling on Saturday, the SPC ordered lower courts to impose harsher punishments on such crimes according to the law and to stick to the principle of "minimum tolerance and maximum protection".
A statement issued by the court quoted an unnamed official as saying, "Criminal cases involving child molestation, corporal punishment and abuse of minors have been occurring frequently in China recently."
Factors including economic and social transition, inadequate awareness of protection mechanisms, and incomplete management and prevention measures have led to the rise of such cases, he said.
But high pressure and stiffer punishments have been maintained to contain the crime of infringing upon minors' rights, the official added.
The SPC also published details of three "guiding" cases for judges' reference when handling child molestation and other cases relating to infringement of minors' rights.
One of the cases involved a village primary school teacher surnamed Bao who molested seven school girls and raped six of them scores of times in more than two years before he was reported to police in September 2011. Bao also took nude photos and videos of the female students.
He was sentenced to death and was executed recently, according to the SPC.
The second case cited by the SPC concerned Li Yanqin, who maltreated her stepdaughter and beat her to death in May 2011. Li was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, as the court considered the fact that she had sent her stepdaughter to hospital immediately and confessed all her criminal acts.
The SPC also gave the example of Deng Jiawen, who incited several minors to commit burglary multiple times and extorted a huge amount of money between August 2010 and February 2011. Deng was sentenced to seven and half years in prison and was fined 4,000 yuan ($646.2).
Several child molestation cases have made headlines across China recently. A primary school headmaster and a government employee in Wanning city, Hainan province, were detained by police on May 14 for allegedly sexually assaulting six female students. The case was transferred to a local court on Tuesday.
- Michelle lays roses at site along Berlin Wall
- Historic space lecture in Tiangong-1 commences
- 'Sopranos' Star James Gandolfini dead at 51
- UN: Number of refugees hits 18-year high
- Slide: Jet exercises from aircraft carrier
- Talks establish fishery hotline
- Foreign buyers eye Chinese drones
- UN chief hails China's peacekeepers
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Pumping up power of consumption |
From China with love and care |
From the classroom to the boardroom |
Schools open overseas campus |
Domestic power of new energy |
Clearing the air |
Today's Top News
Shenzhou X astronaut gives lecture today
US told to reassess duties on Chinese paper
Chinese seek greater share of satellite market
Russia rejects Obama's nuke cut proposal
US immigration bill sees Senate breakthrough
Brazilian cities revoke fare hikes
Moody's warns on China's local govt debt
Air quality in major cities drops in May
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |