Tough stance adopted in cases of child attack

China's top prosecutor has pursued tough charges and sentences against suspects in cases of assault against children left behind in rural areas, a senior official with the Supreme People's Procuratorate said ahead of International Children's Day, which fell on June 1.

From last year through April, procuratorial organs at all levels nationwide arrested some 2,970 people for violations against children in rural areas whose parents moved to cities in search of work. They also filed charges against nearly 3,600 suspects, Shi Weizhong, director of the SPP's No 9 prosecutorial department, said in late May.

"In one case, a suspect, surnamed Liu, was convicted of drowning an 8-year-old child left behind in such circumstances, and local prosecutors in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, requested the death penalty following strict reviews of evidence," he said.