3 weeks ago
China's Discipline Industry Faces Criticism Over Forced Adult Detention
In China, there are special schools that used to say they help young people who spend too much time on the internet.
These places now call themselves family education centres or youth development organisations.
But a news report says these places are also taking adults.
Parents pay a lot of money to send grown-ups there, sometimes against their will.
For example, a 21-year-old music student was forced into a vehicle by her father, aunt, and two staff members and taken far away for 11 days.
Her parents did not approve of her relationship and paid the school about $4,000 for six months.
A 25-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man were also placed in such facilities by their families, and one school even houses adults up to age 33.
Chinese law says it is illegal to lock someone up without permission, which can mean up to three years in prison.
Even if parents sign a contract, experts say that paperwork does not make it okay to hold an adult against their will.
China's discipline industry, once focused on treating 'internet addiction,' has expanded to include adults whose personal choices clash with parental expectations, according to The Diplomat.
In March, a 21-year-old Beijing music student was forced into a vehicle by her father, aunt, and two staff members and held for 11 days at an institution in Henan province.
Her parents disapproved of her relationship and hired the facility, which charged 26,800 yuan (about $4,000) for six months and 36,800 yuan for a year.
Investigations by China Newsweek and Jiemian News documented adults, including one as old as 33, placed in such institutions, sometimes living alongside teenagers.
China's Criminal Law criminalises the unlawful restriction of personal freedom with up to three years in prison, and The Beijing News said contracts authorising 'military-style management' are not a valid defence.
- Who
- Young adults in China, including a 21-year-old Beijing music student, and private disciplinary institutions hired by their parents.
- What
- Private disciplinary institutions are forcibly detaining adults whose personal choices, such as romantic relationships, gaming, or sleeping habits, clash with parental expectations.
- Where
- China, including Beijing, Henan province, Jiangxi, and Hubei.
- When
- In March for the music student case; in July for the China Newsweek investigation cited in The Diplomat's recent report.
- Why
- Parents pay institutions to exert control they can no longer exercise over their adult offspring, through transportation, isolation, restricted communication, and constant supervision.
Civil liberties and legal critics
Parents and the discipline industry
Forced detention vs parental authority
Civil liberties and legal critics
Forcibly transporting and confining adults is unlawful; the law criminalises the restriction of personal freedom even when families are involved.
Parents and the discipline industry
Parents who find adult children difficult to manage see institutions as a way to impose discipline and correct behaviour such as relationships or irregular sleep.
Validity of signed contracts
Civil liberties and legal critics
Contracts authorising 'military-style management' are not a valid defence because any agreement contradicting the law is invalid.
Parents and the discipline industry
The industry sells control through paperwork signed beforehand by families, giving it a market in involuntary confinement arranged by parents.
Key facts
- Industry
- Private discipline institutions rebranded as family education centres or behavioural intervention programmes
- Reported cost
- 26,800 yuan (about $4,000) for six months; 36,800 yuan for a year
- Known case
- 21-year-old Beijing music student held 11 days in Henan province
- Oldest documented resident
- 33 years old, housed alongside teenagers
- Grounds for intervention
- Romantic relationships, excessive gaming, unemployment, unconventional career paths, irregular sleep patterns
- Legal penalty
- Up to three years in prison for unlawful restriction of personal freedom
- Legal commentary
- The Beijing News: a contract authorising 'military-style management' is not a valid defence
- Primary source
- The Diplomat online magazine, citing Southern People Weekly, China Newsweek, Jiemian News, and The Beijing News
Quotes
The Diplomat
Online magazine reporting the discipline industry
“"The incident reflects a broader transformation in an industry once associated almost exclusively with treating so-called “internet addiction".”
thehansindia.com
“"law is applied differently if a parent, rather than a stranger, is the one arranging the involuntary confinement."”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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