Abducted Woman Sparks Controversy

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A report titled Abducted Woman Becomes Model Teacher, which was first published two years ago, has recently sparked heated discussion online for its questionable focus.



Back in 1994, when Gao Yanmin was 18, she was abducted and sold as a bride to a farmer in a village in Quyang of north China's Hebei Province.

Having failed to run away after numerous attempts, Gao settled down in the village and began working as a teacher at a local primary school.



Gao's abduction was brought to public attention nine years ago when she was nominated for a "Touching Hebei" award (an award to honor Hebei residents whose personal stories are touching and inspiring). Her story received wide media coverage and was even adapted into a movie in 2009.



During the latest round of online discussion, however, many netizens have pointed out that it is not appropriate for media outlets to focus on Gao's contribution as a teacher in rural areas. The key thing should be—she was abducted, and the gang involved in the trafficking must be identified and arrested.

This opinion was later echoed by Chen Shiqu, director of the Anti-Trafficking Office of China's Ministry of Public Security. He made a statement via his Weibo account, saying that in such cases, abductors should be severely punished and buyers should be held responsible as well.

A sample of comments on Weibo:

@Justice130: We should praise Gao's devotion and nobility, but how could we neglect her ordeal? What a shame!

@Faceofbo: Why not report on the insufficient efforts from the local government and the poor education in rural areas? Don't sugarcoat the harsh reality!

@1689157: It is not a rare thing in China that reports are selective and ignore/hide negative information. Chinese media should take more social responsibility.

@Fangcaoqiqi: In the old days, the whole society only focused on the incredible story of her requiting evil with good after her abduction, but now, we are beginning to question whether such devotion should be praised, so people are getting more conscious and rational. It's a good thing.