3 children arrested in northern China over death of classmate
- The suspects are aged below 14 and were detained by police in Handan, Hebei province
- The case has prompted calls online for the government to focus attention on the education of ‘left-behind children’
The reports did not specify the ages of the children accused, saying only that they were below the age of 14.
The Beijing News reported that the victim, identified only as Wang, disappeared on Sunday afternoon and was found on Monday afternoon in an abandoned vegetable shed in a village in Handan, Hebei province, about 500km (310 miles) south of Beijing.
The report said Wang and the three suspects were “left-behind children”, referring to minors living alone or with their relatives – often in the countryside – while their parents work away from home.
Other reports alleged that the three suspects had bullied Wang.
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The Hebei Public Security Department, which oversees Handan police, has also formed a task force to investigate the matter.
The maximum penalty for juveniles involved in such crimes is life imprisonment.
The case has prompted calls online for the government to focus attention on the education of left-behind children and to close the gulf in education levels and economic development between rural and urban areas.
According to a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics and Unicef in May 2023, China had 66.93 million left-behind children by 2020, with 41.77 million living in rural areas.
