A Broken Society: Human Decency Versus Fear of Prosecution

Disbelief. Outrage. Grief. Sadness. Horror. Physically sick.

These are just some of the reactions I felt when I first read this story. Please keep in mind that I am in no way an expert on policies, society and socially acceptable behaviour in China, nor am I judging the Chinese as a whole. I am not blaming anyone. I only know that what I have read is very very wrong.

A two year old girl, Wang Yue (Yueyue) wandered out into a busy street while her mother was distracted for a split second. A surveillance video captures the following horrifying moments. As the little girl walks towards the middle of the road, a white van runs her over. It stops, then contnues on its way, crushing poor Yueyue again with its rear tires.

That in itself is disturbing. The fact that the van stopped briefly showed that the driver knew he had hit something. But the people's reactions that follow are also, if not more, significantly troubling.

Eighteen people walked past Yueyue without helping her in any way. Footage shows that people paused, looked at her, then continued on their way. Others drove scooters and bikes around her. Due to this lack of aid, Yueyue was run over by a second vehicle. It was finally a 57 year old rubbish collector, the poorest of the poor, who finally did something. Chen Xianmei found Yueyue lying on the road, picked her up and frantically searched for her parents. Even then, there were reports that nearby shopkeepers did not help her. Little Yueyue was finally rushed to hospital after her mother was identified.

There has been significant media coverage on this tragedy, with the people of China and the world in disbelief that this could happen. Natural human instinct when seeing a small child, a baby, bleeding and in agony on a road would be to stop and assist her in any way possible. But the political and legal system in China has driven a deep fear in people to mind their own business and continue on their way.

People have been sued and ordered to pay the medical costs of the very people they were trying to help. In 2006, a good samaritan took an old lady to hospital after she had a fall. Perhaps due to the pressure of medical costs, the old lady accused the good samaritan of causing her fall, and sued him. Known as the 'Nanjing Judge', the judge ruled that the good samaritan was in fact guilty and had caused her fall, which was the only possible reason a complete stranger would assist an old lady. He was ordered to pay all medical costs.

This ruling set a negative precedent on good samaritan acts in China. There have been stories of people asking the injured to say that the accident was their own fault before stepping up and helping them. The fear of being prosecuted and ordered to pay a significant amount of money in an already poor area seems to be the main deterrent for these people helping others in need.

Due to the shocking and sensitive nature of this tragedy, many people have been judging and blaming, searching for a reason why something like this could happen. Others have questioned humanity, the morals of the people of China, the justice system, and how a society could have deteriorated so much that people can ignore a critically injured child.

Personally, I think it is a combination of unfortunate events that lead to this tragedy. People have been blaming the mother. What mother can keep their eyes on a child 24/7? People make mistakes, and in this case, taking her eyes off her child had horrific consequences. I believe the mother has suffered enough without being blamed and judged.

The 'Nanjing Judge' had a significant impact on the willingness of the people of China to help others, and therefore had a role in this tragedy. So, too, did every single individual that walked past without helping little Yueyue. The van driver had a major role in this, as did the second driver than ran her over. People have been reporting that they couldn't see her, it was too dark. Only they know the truth, which will live with them for the rest of their lives. All of this has led to and contributed toward a tragic event.

Yueyue's condition is still unknown, with differing reports stating that she is slowly recovering, she has passed away and she is brain dead and will be in permanent vegetative state. I hope and pray that this little girl will recover and live a healthy, happy life.