Recently, a shocking long-term enslavement case has been uncovered in Baoding, Hebei Province. An unidentified disabled elderly man was forced to labor at a local cement distribution store for 20 years, manually carrying over 20 tons of cement every day without any pay and with no protective measures provided in the work environment. Renowned anti-human trafficking volunteer Shang Guanzheng revealed the incident, and subsequently faced death threats, once again drawing public attention to the matter.
On June 7th, Shang Guanzheng posted on Weibo that he received a tip and went to a cement sales store in Liu Zhuang Village, Zangcun Town, Qingyuan District, Baoding City, Hebei Province, where he found the unidentified disabled elderly man who had been forced to do hard labor for 20 years. The man wakes up at 5 a.m. every day, without any protective gear, to load and unload over 20 tons of cement, in a workplace filled with dust, and without receiving any wages.
When questioned, the boss claimed that the disabled individual was “given by a friend” and had no identity, further stating, “If he dies, just bury him.”
In the absence of the boss, Shang Guanzheng approached the elderly man who, in front of the camera, expressed, “Tired, want to go home.”
Shang Guanzheng mentioned that the boss informed him that local authorities were aware of the situation.
After gathering evidence, Shang Guanzheng promptly reported the incident to the local competent department, released a real video footage online, and demanded a thorough investigation into the elderly man’s identity and proper placement of the victim.
Shang Guanzheng stated that after exposing and reporting the incident, a neighbor of the cement sales store threatened to run him over in front of the police.
On June 8th, Shang Guanzheng posted again on Weibo saying, “Someone wants to kill me again,” and pointed out that the IP of the threatener originated from Hebei, suspecting a connection to the earlier report on the cement store.
As of June 9th, media outlets such as Ifeng.com followed up on the report, revealing that the disabled elderly man is from Pingshan County, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.
Many netizens and lawyers have condemned the involved boss, urging for the prosecution of his criminal liability for forced labor and illegal detention, and questioning the long-term negligence of relevant local departments.
According to reports, the neighbor who threatened to run over someone has been administratively detained for seven days for “threatening personal safety.”
Mourong, a lawyer from Beijing Yingke (Guangzhou) Law Firm, posted on Weibo stating that the boss involved had long controlled the freedom of the elderly man, exploited the labor of disabled individuals for profit, subjected them to harsh working conditions causing physical harm, constituting forced labor and illegal confinement, which are actual criminal offenses.
“Twenty years of long-term enslavement, where the victims are disabled vulnerable groups, with extremely egregious circumstances, fall under circumstances necessitating severe punishment according to the law, leaving virtually no space for leniency. Not only the boss but also those who were involved in the initial transfer and transportation of the elderly, are equally suspicious and should be held accountable to the fullest extent.”
Shang Guanzheng’s Weibo is certified as “2010 Touching China Candidate, anti-human trafficking volunteer, participant of Beijing TV ‘I am a Speaker,’ and headline article author.” His Weibo profile states, “A person who likes to study criminal psychology.”
With approximately 583,000 followers on Weibo, his account is verified. From his long-term content postings, he focuses on combating human trafficking of women and children, rescuing unidentified disabled individuals subjected to forced labor, revealing illegal surrogacy and forged birth certificates, and various other criminal activities. He is an active grassroots public worker.
Shang Guanzheng, through continuous on-site investigations, collecting clues, and publicly reporting incidents, has exposed numerous vicious cases involving human trafficking, forced labor, and forgery of documents, leading to the resolution of some cases. While his working methods have sparked controversies such as “entrapment law enforcement,” due to his success in rescuing individuals and assisting in reuniting families, he has garnered significant support and respect from the public on the internet, viewed as an important force in the field of grassroots anti-human trafficking and public supervision.