Two school teachers in China were convicted of coercing over 20 young girls, including some of their own students, into prostitution. The victims, whose families were threatened if they did not cooperate, ranged in age from 11-17, with six under the age of fourteen, reports the BBC.
Zhao Qingmei, the mastermind of the operation, and her husband, Chi Yao, were found guilty of running the child-sex ring, and were sentenced to death last week. However, the BBC reports that Chi’s sentence was suspended for two years and will likely be commuted to life in prison.
Fourteen other people, mostly owners of the hostels where the girls were forced to prostitute themselves, were also convicted in the child sex-ring case. According to the Shanghai Daily, they received prison terms ranging from one year to life in prison.
