A Chinese woman has been handed more than five years in prison after she sold both her biological children to pay for her habit of tipping livestream hosts, a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report said.
Struggling Mother from Guangxi Turns to Desperation
The woman, whose surname is Huang, is 26-year-old from Guangxi province in southern China. She has a primary school education but no fixed support system and migrated to Fuzhou in Fujian province to do odd jobs to earn a living.
According to SCMP, she had given birth to her first son in October 2020. She was unable to take care of the child because of limited funds and the fact that the father was nowhere to be found, so she decided to sell the baby. Her landlord, Wei, brought her someone who was a relative, Li, and his son, who was unable to have children and wished to adopt. She sold the child for 45,000 yuan (about US$6,300), which Huang spent on tipping livestreamers.
Second Child Sold After Planned Pregnancy for Profit
When the finances dried up, Huang went even further. She allegedly actively hunted men for the purposes of becoming pregnant with a second child again so that she could sell the baby, the report said. She had another son in 2022, whom she named Guyu. She sold him to a broker for 38,000 yuan (US$5,300), who subsequently sold the baby again for 103,000 yuan (US$14,000). Once again, Huang used the total amount on extravagant purchases, such as online gratuities and apparel.
The authorities were notified about Huang’s behavior on April 13, 2022. A police investigation revealed chat logs on her phone involving child-selling deals. Both of the boys were rescued successfully in April 2022 and are currently in the care of local civil affairs departments, pending adoption.
Court Sentencing and Punishment for All Involved
In accordance with SCMP, on July 8, Huang was sentenced by the Fuzhou Jin’an District People’s Court to five years and two months in prison for child trafficking and fraud, as well as a fine of 30,000 yuan (US$4,000). Li received a suspended nine-month sentence for buying a trafficked child, and Wei got a seven-month jail sentence.
