China: Authorities intervene in the case of a young woman’s body being sold for a ghost wedding

Global Times On November 20, it was reported that the Guanxian district government in Shandong province, Eastern China, launched a campaign over the weekend to rectify bad customs, including “ghost weddings”.

The government’s move came after the body of a 16-year-old girl was sold by her adoptive parents for 66,000 yuan ($9,153) to marry another dead person. This story has sparked intense debate in public opinion.

Secretary of the Guanxian District Party Committee Zhang Xuehong emphasized the need to eliminate negative and no longer appropriate customs and practices.

According to Global Timesyoung woman Xiao Dan (character name has been changed) committed suicide last December by jumping from a building.

Xiao’s biological parents later accused her adoptive parents of selling their daughter’s body to another family for a “ghost wedding” with a deceased young man.

Xiao’s biological father, whose last name is Sun, said his wife became pregnant with this young woman in 2005 unplanned and because the family did not have enough financial means to raise the child, they decided to give the child to a family. other.

Mr. Sun said, Xiao Dan once confided in a friend about being verbally abused by her adoptive parents and this may be the reason this young woman committed suicide. He said that Xiao Dan’s adoptive parents should be charged with domestic violence and insulting the deceased’s body.

However, in October, Mr. Sun’s accusations against Xiao Dan’s adoptive parents were not accepted by the police due to lack of evidence. After that, he continued to file a petition with the court to confirm the adoption agreement was invalid.

This case attracted attention in China when many comments expressed sympathy for Xiao Dan’s fate. Many people also raised questions about Mr. Sun’s motives.

Legal experts explained that frequent cursing by adoptive parents could constitute domestic violence, but because Xiao Dan died, it was difficult to determine whether her adoptive parents were guilty of domestic violence. or not.