'Pigpen boy' sent to aunt's home for care
- By Lin Liyao
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E-mail China.org.cn, July 8, 2015
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Liu Hongbo smiles at his first taste of prawn crackers given to him by a volunteer. The 7-year-old is the size of a normal 4-year-old due to malnutrition and years of neglect. Photographs of him sitting in the back of his father's truck along with a pig went viral online and prompted immediate action by local volunteers and government officials. He is now being cared for by an aunt.[Photo/Puyang Daily] |
A boy who used to live in a pigpen in Puyang, Henan Province, has been sent to be looked after at his aunt's home, according to Chinanews.com.
Staff at the local bureau of civil affairs confirmed that local government will provide 500 yuan (US$80.55) per month to the boy's aunt so she can raise her nephew up to the age of 18.
On July 4, a charity volunteer and a local reporter found a seven-year-old boy living in a pigpen outside his family home. The boy, named Liu Hongbo, was unable to communicate properly, and his head was covered with scars and bruises.
A local newspaper reported that the boy's father, 46-year-old Liu Zhenxue, is a pig farmer; while his mother seems to be suffering from a mental disorder, and was often seen beating her son.
Neighbors said that the boy's mother had given birth to five children, but three of them had died. They claimed the mother bit her children and that her abusive behavior led to the deaths of the other three.
"I often hear the mother taking Liu Hongbo's head and knocking it against the door or the floor. Sometimes it takes three or four hits until he starts crying," one neighbor told the local newspaper.
Staff at the local bureau of civil affairs said that they will discuss Liu's education with the local health and education departments when he grows up.
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