When a mother was sent to a labour camp for protesting that the men who raped and prostituted her young daughter had been treated too leniently, it sparked fury in China.
The public outcry led to Tang Hui’s release, but did not end with her return home last week. The case has fuelled calls for the immediate reform of a system that means low-level offenders can be detained in forced-labour camps for up to four years without a trial or legal representation.
The 39-year-old mother was sentenced to 18 months re-education through labour for “seriously disturbing the social order and exerting a negative impact on society” after she repeatedly petitioned officials in Yongzhou, Hunan, because she believed the sentences given to the men who kidnapped, raped and forced her 11-year-old daughter into prostitution should have been more severe.
Tens of thousands of people commented or forwarded posts about her ordeal. Since her release, attention has shifted to the general shortcomings of the system.
In a poll of almost 20,000 internet users, posted by a well-known author on the Sina Weibo microblog service, 98% called for its abolition. The poll was later deleted, prompting some respondents to joke that it too had been sent to a labour camp.
Ten well-known lawyers have now issued an open letter calling for change to labour through re-education, which dates back to the 1950s.
China had 350 labour camps with 160,000 prisoners at the end of 2008, the last year for which figures are available. They face long working hours, often in heavy agricultural or factory roles, and receive political education.
The ministry of justice does not publish details on why people were detained, although in 2005 it suggested drug offences were responsible for more than half the cases. The system is often used to deal with minor criminals, such as thieves and sex workers.
