Two PRC Communist Party officials have been arrested for the rape and prostitution of girls as young as 13 years old in two separate cases which sparked a massive outcry in China.
The first case took place in the city of Yongkang in eastern China’s Zhejiang province and involved a deputy of the People’s Congress of Yongkang by the name of Hu.
Hu allegedly ran a child prostitution ring which forced more than 20 junior middle school students from three schools to provide sexual services to local men.
Junior middle school students in China are typically between 13 and 15 years old. The suspects will be charged with the crime of child prostitution under Chinese law if any of the victims are under the age of 14.
In a separate case, Li Xingong, the party’s former deputy head of Yongcheng city in Henan province, was arrested on Friday for having allegedly raped numerous young girls.
The official Xinhua news agency has reported the number to be more than 10, while some other Chinese media said there were at least 40 victims and perhaps as many as 100.
According to the Chinese media, Li used social media to groom victims and order others to lure and threaten young girls at local schools for sex.
Most of the rapes allegedly took place in an unlicensed black Chevrolet. SMS evidence allegedly revealed that Li only wanted girls who were virgins, while computer files showed there were at least 40 victims.