Suspended jail term for parents selling own babies outrages Chinese public, spotlights hurdles to fixing persistent problem

A couple were given a three-year suspended jail sentence for selling their two newborn daughters
They said they sold the babies to pay for their sick son’s medical bills

Crime

Yingjie Wangin Beijing

Published: 6:00pm, 1 Apr 2022

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The perceived light sentences for a couple who sold their daughters in eastern China have again spotlighted the problem of child trafficking in the country and reminded people that some families would go to great lengths to protect their sons, especially when they are sick.

A man, surnamed Liu, and his wife, surnamed Guo, were sentenced to three years in jail, suspended for four years, according to a courtroom video that went viral on Wednesday.

They were charged with child abduction and human trafficking under a mainland Chinese law that states: “The sale of biological children can be classified as child abduction and trafficking.”

The exact date when the trial took place is unclear.

People who sell babies can be charged under human trafficking and child abduction laws in China. Photo: Getty Images

The couple said they sold their two daughters to pay for their son’s medical bills. The specifics of the illness were not disclosed.

In 2018, the family, who lives in Shandong, sold their first newborn daughter to a person surnamed Wei for a 30,000 yuan (US$4,725) “nutrition fee”.

A “nutrition fee” is a coded term to refer to money paid to the biological parents for taking a pregnancy to term, much like surrogacy, which is also illegal in China.

In November 2019, the couple had a second baby girl, whom they sold to another man, surnamed Jin, for 33,000 yuan (US$5,196).

The couple had the second daughter outside of hospital, and when the buyer, Jin, took the girl to hospital to cut her umbilical cord, the medical staff became suspicious and called the police.

When the pair were detained, the husband confessed to the local police that he and his wife had sold their daughters, claiming they had done it to pay for their son’s medical bills.

How can such a light sentence deter this kind of behaviour?

An online comment about the sentencing

In addition to the suspended jail sentence, Liu and Guo were fined a total of 20,000 yuan (US$3,149) and ordered to confiscate the proceeds from the transactions.

After the news broke, a large number of people in China expressed discontent with the court’s decision, arguing that it was too lenient.

“How can such a light sentence deter this kind of behaviour?” one person asked.

Another commented, “The message sent to society is that buying and selling people is harmless.”

Child abductions and abandonments have been a persistent problem in China for decades. A series of high-profile cases in the past year pushed the issue into public discourse, and it was a priority topic for lawmakers during the annual “two sessions”, the country’s biggest political meetings, in early March.

Li Keqiang, China’s premier, said at the sessions: “We will severely crack down on the crime of abduction and trafficking of women and children, and resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of women and children.”

Also in March, the Ministry of Public Security launched a year-long campaign to crack down on “the trafficking of women and children”.

Xu Lida holds his mobile displaying his daughter, Xu Jingzhi, now named Kati Pohler, who he abandoned decades earlier. Photo: SCMP

Last December, a father was sentenced to 10 years in prison for making 180,000 yuan (US$28,125) by selling five of his children between 2012 and 2020.

In August 2021, a woman in northern China’s Hebei province was found by police to have sold her baby to a reproductive medical technology company for 70,000 yuan (US$11,020).