Man arrested for allegedly raping girl in Chinese training camp; victim later committed suicide

JIANGXI: A man was arrested on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old girl at a self-discipline training camp in Jiangxi province, police said on Friday (August 16).

The suspect, a camp instructor surnamed Wang, was arrested on August 4 after the girl’s mother reported the alleged assaults, according to the Anyuan County Public Security Bureau. The case is currently under investigation.

The girl, identified only by her surname “Du,” jumped to her death from her family’s home on August 5 after disclosing the alleged abuse, local media reported.

Du attended the training camp near her home in Anyuan County in July.

Her mother said that at the beginning of the camp, she often saw her daughter in the photos shared by camp leaders in a group on WeChat. But over time, she disappeared from the photos shared in the group chat, reported Huashang News, a newspaper in Shaanxi province.

The training camp ended on July 26. When Du returned home, she showed signs of depression. On August 1, her mother learned from a friend’s child, who had also attended the training camp, that her daughter had been raped by Wang in front of other girls.

On August 2, after being questioned by her mother, Du revealed that she had been sexually abused by Wang three times between July 11 and 15 and forced to take contraceptives.

She stated that on July 17, she tried to escape the camp to get help, but was pursued and stopped by instructors.

Du also told a teacher at the camp about her ordeal, but no action was taken.

On the afternoon of August 5, while being comforted by her family, Du suddenly jumped out of a window in the hallway. Despite all medical efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead at around 9 p.m.

The girl’s father told Jiupai News, a news portal based in Hubei province: “It’s really devastating to see your child jump from a building. It feels like the sky has fallen.” – China Daily/ANN