Jiujiang court sentences 15 people in teenage exploitation case

A court in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, has sentenced 15 individuals following a case involving the forced prostitution of a 13-year-old girl. The victim, identified by the pseudonym Wei Wei, was controlled by a five-person criminal group that used physical assault, illegal detention, and forced administration of controlled substances to compel her and two other minors into sex work between March and July 2022.

The exploitation resulted in the victim contracting syphilis and suffering from severe depression. The primary perpetrator, Ni, who was 15 at the time of the offenses, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for rape. Although Ni was exempt from certain charges due to age, the court ruled she held criminal responsibility for rape.

The legal process concluded after the victim's father spent four years seeking justice. Initially, Ni and ten clients avoided prosecution due to age or claims of ignorance. However, following a formal complaint and a judicial supervision process, the ten clients were charged with rape and sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to five years. Other members of the criminal group received sentences between three and six and a half years.