In late September, a 6-year-old girl in the Yao Autonomous County of Ruyuan, Shaoguan, Guangdong was scalded by an 11-year-old boy from the same school while opening water at school, resulting in second-degree burns. The school and local education bureau called the boy’s behavior a prank, which sparked backlash on social media.
On October 11, Mr. Qiu from Ruyuan, Guangdong told the “New Beijing News” that his daughter was scalded by a high-grade student who claimed to help twist the lid open when she was opening the water at school. His daughter suffered serious burns on her face, chest, and thighs. Mrs. Qiu mentioned that intentional harm to her daughter couldn’t be ruled out, and the incident had been reported to the police.
According to “Power News” under Guangdong Radio and Television Station, the girl, nicknamed Xiaoyan, is a first-grade student at the Zhongxin Primary School in Rucheng Town, Ruyuan, Guangdong. Mr. Qiu, Xiaoyan’s father, said, “While she was filling water halfway, she felt the water was too hot and wanted to pour it out. A senior student nearby said he would pour it for her, then poured it directly onto my daughter’s head.”
Xiaoyan was diagnosed with second-degree burns. Mr. Qiu stated that his daughter’s face, chest, belly, and thighs were all burned, with the thighs being the most severely affected.
Second-degree burns refer to burns that reach the dermis layer, involving residual skin appendages. Without complications such as infections, they can heal in 3 to 4 weeks. Due to the presence of granulation tissue during the repair process, scarring may remain, but the basic skin function is preserved.
Reporters from the “New Beijing News” visited Rucheng Town Zhongxin Primary School, where the responsible parties mentioned that the school’s drinking water machine normally provides water at 40°C, but on the day of the incident, the water temperature from the machine Xiaoyan used was unusually high. Afterwards, a sixth-grade male student impulsively played a prank, leading to the scalding incident.
The school principal stated, “When the students reported to the teacher, they mentioned that a senior male student splashed water on the injured girl, but they didn’t clarify that it was under abnormally high water temperature conditions. Our teachers subconsciously thought it was the usual 40°C water, hence didn’t realize the severity of the situation.”
The Deputy Director of the Education Bureau of the Yao Autonomous County of Ruyuan, Shaoguan City, mentioned that the boy’s actions towards the injured child were an impromptu prank, not an intentional or malicious act, emphasizing that the school bears the responsibility for safety management.
An article by Extreme Vision News pointed out that describing the girl being scalded by hot water as a prank is too careless.
The term “prank” refers to deliberately joking, teasing, or pranking others, carrying a sense of humor, and cannot be a normative description of the incident. In a situation where the young girl suffered severe injuries and immense physical and emotional pain, labeling the event as a “prank” appears overly casual, resulting in a secondary harm to the victim and her family, potentially sparking public dissatisfaction.
From a legal perspective, the boy’s behavior clearly constitutes physical harm to the girl, even though he is a minor and exempt from criminal responsibility, it doesn’t mean he can be absolved of any wrongdoing.
Legal blogger and influential microblogger “Criminal Law Yang Yanxia” stated, “It is precisely this kind of attitude from the education bureau that leads to the increasing severity of campus bullying! At 11 years old, using hot water to splash others, how can it not be intentional? Why doesn’t he splash himself with hot water? Whether he can bear criminal responsibility is determined by national laws, there’s no way around it. But to deny even the act of ‘intentional harm’ is unacceptable!”
Media personality and prominent microblogger “Kailai” commented, “A typical case of campus bullying! Why does campus bullying persist? Isn’t Figure 1 the answer? The education bureau downplays significant issues, the school shifts responsibility, teachers cover up, and even the police explicitly ascertain intent, yet Ruyang Yao Primary School can still package this as a ‘prank,’ which is utterly despicable!”