Front Page of the Day

Girl chops off her finger to prove her innocence

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Chongqing Evening News
December 5, 2008

A truly sad story is on the front page of today's Chongqing Evening News: A mother accused her six-year-old daughter of stealing a 0.5-yuan coin from the house.

The girl, whom the newspaper calls "Lele," denied it. Her mother then said something she would later regret: "Fine. If you didn't steal it, then chop off your hand." Then she left.

So Lele cut off her little finger while her mother was away.

At the hospital, the doctor found that the girl had hacked at her little finger six times, cutting it into six pieces. When was asked if it hurt, or if she regret doing it, her only answer was "no." Doctors say that the little girl never cried, but it could not be denied that she was in pain: she couldn't get to sleep all night.

The girl's father, Zhang Tai, said that the surgery had taken all of the 6,000 yuan he had managed to borrow, but he still owed the hospital money. He said that since his wife was expecting another child, the six-year-old girl had taken on household responsibilities including cooking meals and feeding their pigs. "She holds firmly to her position when she thinks she is right," Zhang said.

The article concludes by quoting a psychologist who says that the child may have been trying to get her parents' attention through her actions.

A few days ago, the media reported that a nine-year-old boy hanged himself with his red Young Pioneer scarf after he fell ill and his parents refused to give him ten yuan for medicine. The boy was rescued and sent to the hospital, where he lay in a coma.

An editorial in the Guangzhou Daily attributed the boy's suicide attempt to a lack of proper "psychological education" which could have taught him how to face life's difficulties.

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There are currently 10 Comments for Girl chops off her finger to prove her innocence.

Comments on Girl chops off her finger to prove her innocence

I told you I was hardcore!!!

Very classy, Craig.

"An editorial in the Guangzhou Daily attributed the boy's suicide attempt to a lack of proper "psychological education" which could have taught him how to face life's difficulties."---ARTICLE

Maybe a kid shouldn't have to face life difficulties at all. They are kids for goodness sake. Maybe this country in question should concentrate more on giving a kid a childhood and why is that mother is pregnant can't she still cook? Pregnant women can still do most things.

"The article concludes by quoting a psychologist who says that the child may have been trying to get her parents' attention through her actions. "---Article

No! She was merely proving her innocence. F psychologists. Its maybe 10 years until these quack-doctors start drugging these kids like they do in the States. It makes money and destroys more happy children. As if the kids here weren't numb enough. Numb the crap out of them. Out of curiosity why does reattaching a little finger cost over 6,000 RMB?

@SGT. SLAUGHTER
"Maybe a kid shouldn't have to face life difficulties at all..."

What? That's if you want spoiled brats who can't survive in society...

when survival is still an issue, psychological education is such a luxry. both kids are fr underprevilidged families. that's why 0.5 yuan was such a concern and the request 10 yuan for medincine was not answered-not refused, according to Chinese link.

@SGT. SLAUGHTER
show me a finger attaching surgery (or any serious doctor visit) that costs less than 6000 rmb total, that's 872.79 USD as of today.

"Out of curiosity why does reattaching a little finger cost over 6,000 RMB?"

Because it's a complex operation that takes hours and hours and a team of people to perform. The bone must be precisely set (it's not a break or a shatter), the blood vessels re-attached, and muscles joined back together.

It's not a matter of squishing the bits together and hoping.

Put it this way: if setting a compound broken finger is eating icecream, sewing a severed finger back on is MAKING icecream in the desert with no refrigeration, no sugar, and no milk.

why do the parents even bother reattaching her finger if they can't even get over 50c? family of idiots

Spats over trivial sums, unspeakably nasty things said to children... just another day in a Chinese family.

what a sad story? mother doesnt care her little kid. is 0.5 yaun coin more expensive than her little daughter? she tried to show her innocense to her mom. why did tell her to do like that. she is not adult. today I call all parents to care that gift your gos given.

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