An internet addiction boot camp for teenagers in eastern China is under investigation over allegations of widespread corporal punishment and physical abuse of students, according to a newspaper report.
An internet addiction boot camp for teenagers in eastern China is under investigation over allegations of widespread corporal punishment and physical abuse of students, according to a newspaper report.
Photo: CGTN
Staff at the Yuzhang Academy in Nanchang in Jiangxi province have been accused of using extreme punishment methods on pupils, including solitary confinement, to cure them of their addiction, the Jiangxi Daily reported on Monday.
Police said in a statement on Friday that officers were investigating the allegations. Authorities promised that those responsible would be held accountable.
A police statement last week said officers were investigating the camp. Photo: Jiangxi Daily
“Internet users have reported issues including corporal punishment and poor quality food at the Yuzhang Academy in our area,” the statement said. “After receiving these reports, a joint investigation group was immediately set up by five organisations to investigate and verify these allegations.”
In the past week, some students who had been sent to the correctional facility posted screenshots online along with first hand accounts of their experiences, described the harsh regulations.
Photo: Chinanews.com
“The most serious corporal punishment is the steel bar and the ruler which is made of iron. If you cuss in the institute, you will be hit 25 times with the ruler,” @Kaikekaiwen posted on Weibo, claiming he had been sent to Yuzhang Academy to be re-educated after being found to be in a romantic relationship.
In some parts of China, many parents believe that children should concentrate on their studies to gain a university place and not be distracted by dating.
Photo: Chinanews.com
Another student who was also punished said in her Weibo post that most parents who sent their children to Yuzhang Academy were tricked by staff and knew little about the actual situation their children were in.
According to the government statement, Yuzhang Academy is an institute which aims to cultivate teenagers’ moral character and in 2014 the institute was converted to a school to re-educate juvenile delinquents, such as Internet addicts and those who don’t like to study.
Source: CGTN/SCMP
