Case exposes problems with grassroots governance

The case of the chained woman held in a rundown hut in Fengxian county, Jiangsu province, has focused attention on the shortcomings of grassroots governance.

A report released by a provincial investigation team on Wednesday said the woman, named as Xiaohuamei, was sold in 1998 to the father of her current husband, but no officials at village, township or county level had investigated the case during the past 24 years,

Li Wenbiao, head of Xuzhou City Commission for Discipline Inspection, said, "If just one person had taken a responsible attitude, this incident could have been stopped and corrected."

An official in charge of the Jiangsu investigation team said the case exposed problems and shortcomings of local Party committees and governments in grassroots organizational construction, protection of women's and children's rights and interests, and assistance and care for special groups.

Some Party members and officials have not adopted the "people-centered development idea, with problems of formalism, bureaucracy, and a lack of awareness of the rule of law" resulting in a lack of grassroots services and management, the official said.

Lou Hai, former Party chief of Fengxian county, who has been held accountable for dereliction of duty in the incident, said he had no prior knowledge of the case.

"I feel guilty as a local magistrate. This guilt will stay with me for the rest of my life," he said.

After video footage of the woman, showing her with the chain round her neck, appeared on social media platforms, the county government quickly released a statement and said no kidnapping was involved. This had been denied by the investigation team.

A meeting held by the Xuzhou city government on Wednesday deemed that the incident basically showed that some officials are formalistic, bureaucratic, and lack awareness of rule of law and also devotion to serving the people. In addition, the meeting found that grassroots governance faces problems and that some officials are neglecting their duties.

Xinhua News Agency said the incident showed that some Party members and cadres ignore the interests of the masses and turn a blind eye to their suffering. This has led to a long-term absence of grassroots services and management, which has seriously harmed the public's rights and interests.

Local governments need to rely on the rule of law and improve the modern grassroots governance system and capacity to effectively safeguard people's legitimate rights and interests, the agency said.

Lyu Dewen, a professor at Wuhan University's School of Sociology, said the incident was a combination of problems such as human trafficking and poor grassroots governance.

Long-standing social problems need to be resolved, but there are sufficient policies to settle obvious violations of laws and regulations, and grassroots officials have no reason to ignore such problems, Lyu said.

The recently released No 1 Central Document emphasized the need to crack down on pornography, gambling, drugs and violations of women's and children's rights in rural areas.

The authorities in Jiangsu recently examined and rectified problems resulting from violations of the rights of special groups, including women, children and the disabled. The province has also cracked down on abductions, while cadres in villages and communities in Fengxian have been asked to make monthly visits to all families under their jurisdiction.

Wang Guangyu, deputy Party chief of Huankou township, Fengxian, said registered people on low incomes who have been lifted out of poverty are being monitored.

"We mainly focus on past household income and material security. We can learn lessons from the incident involving this woman and strengthen protection of residents' lives, rights and interests in the future," Wang said.