(Minghui.org) A child’s innocent face is like a mirror that reflects his or her pure inner world, and a child’s words of kindness are like a mirror that reveals their sincerity. However, some children in China have not been allowed to enjoy the happy childhood that is rightfully theirs.
(Continued from Part 1)
When people are persecuted for their faith, including their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, it is a shadow on society. It harms all of us, including our children.
According to incomplete statistics, at least 5,010 Falun Dafa practitioners have been confirmed to have lost their lives due to the persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as of November 2023. The number of practitioners imprisoned is in the tens of thousands while the number who were sent to forced labor camps is in the hundreds of thousands. These numbers are based on information that can be confirmed, despite the CCP’s tight censorship and Internet blockade. However, given the difficulty in getting information out of China, the real situation may be much worse, and the numbers may be much higher.
Many of these persecuted practitioners have children, who have now lost their loved ones, whether temporarily or forever. These innocent little ones live in humiliation, terror, and confusion.
Five-year-old Wang Jing asks, “Why won’t anyone play with me?”
Mr. Wang Zhihai and his wife Ms. Duan Shiqiong are Falun Dafa practitioners from Chongqing, and Wang Jing is their son. Mr. Wang was sent to the Xinhua Forced Labor Camp in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province in July 2001 for practicing Falun Dafa; Ms. Duan lost her life in the Chengdu Detention Center of Sichuan Province on September 17, 2003. Raised by his grandparents, Wang Jing’s childhood was filled with humiliation, discrimination, and sadness.
Zheng Xianchu, a 7-year-old girl in Changchun City, was in a similar situation and she dared not mention her parents’ names.
Ten-year-old Zhang Jiarui said, “Please don’t discriminate against me!”
If you met 10-year-old Zhang Jiarui in 2004, you might have been saddened by his sad and lonely face. His father Mr. Zhang Bin, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Daqing City in Heilongjiang Province, had been arrested again in December 2004 and tortured in Suihua Forced Labor Camp. As she spoke about her son, his mother Ms. Cheng Qinglan said, “For a long time, he has not had his father’s love. Because his classmates and teachers discriminate against him, he is depressed and has low self-esteem. His grades dropped, and his physical and mental health have been affected.”
The CCP Places Children Under Extreme Pressure
Such pressure is so immense that it could crush a person, let alone an innocent, defenseless child. Li Qingqing is a girl from Jiangjin City in Chongqing. After her mother died because of the persecution, she was continually ridiculed by her classmates. She could no longer take it and in despair she drank 100 milliliters of pesticide.
Wan Ruyi: “I’m afraid of those bad people!”
One of the CCP’s persecution policies against Falun Dafa is physical destruction. The more intense and terrifying the policies are, the more frightened these children are. Mr. Wan Liji was a police officer in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province. Because of long-term physical and mental torture, he was only 34 years old when he died on February 9, 2004. His wife was forced to become a street vendor to make a living. Their 4-year-old daughter, Wan Ruyi, often murmured by herself, “I need to call my dad.” Even when she walked in the park, she sometimes noticed she was followed by CCP officers.
Liu Xiang: “I’m afraid of the orphanage!”
Liu Xiang, an 11-year-old boy from Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, said what he feared the most was being sent to an orphanage. His parents were teachers from Nantou Middle School in Shenzhen City. His mother Ms. Wang Xiaodong died from torture at Nanshan Detention Center in July 2003. His father Mr. Liu Xifeng received a 10-year term in December 2003 and was sent to Sihui Prison. Liu Xiang had no choice but to live, with constant fear, in Shenzhen Orphanage. If he leaves there, he will be pursued by the police.
Liu Xiaotian is from Yongzhou City, Hunan Province. When he heard the police officers who persecuted his father were coming for him, the boy left school on November 23, 2001. He hid in a neighbor’s storage unit. But two or three days later, seven police officers came to harass his neighbor. Xiaotian had no choice but to go to his uncle. Several months later, police found him again. His uncle asked a friend to help and the boy stayed in another storage place in Shenzhen City for more than a year. His uncle borrowed a huge amount of money and asked someone to take Xiaotian to Denmark. It was not until he received refugee status that Xiaotian was told his mother also lost her life due to the persecution.
Sun Mingyuan: “Please help rescue my parents!”
Sun Mingyuan is a boy from Dehui City, Jilin Province. Because they practice Falun Dafa, his father Mr. Sun Qian was sentenced to 11 years in prison. His mother Ms. Ma Chunli was sent to the Dehui Detention Center in December 2004 where she was in a life-threatening condition. Mingyuan had to live with his grandmother. Because he thought of his parents very much, he wrote the message on a board and stood in front of the Dehui Shopping Center in 2005 during Chinese New Year, as a call for help.
Yang Shengwei and his sister: “We want our mother even if you beat us to death!”
Yang Shengwei is from Baishan City, Jilin Province. Although an officer from the Fusong County Police Department kicked him in the face the day before, 13-year-old Shengwei carried his three-year-old sister and they went to the police department asking for their mother’s release. Shengwei’s mother is Yang Zhonghong. Because she told people about Falun Dafa, she was arrested on September 19, 2006. While she was detained, she was tied to an iron chair, tortured and threatened.
Twelve-year-old Liu Qian lived in Xiong County, Hebei Province. She was diagnosed with acute leukemia on November 15, 2003. There was no cure and her parents were told to prepare for her funeral. Her parents helped her learn Falun Dafa. Within seven days, this bedridden girl was fully cured. A doctor’s examination showed that she was totally fine.
Two months after school started, because of pressure from higher-ups, the school principal threatened to expel Qian from school unless she signed a document giving up her belief. Due to the huge mental stress and ensuing depression, Liu Qian died five days later. She simply could not understand: Why did the principal disregard a student’s life? Why did the CCP suppress Falun Dafa?
Liu Mohan: “Why?”
There are so many similar stories. Liu Mohan, a fifth-grade student from Nong’an County, Jilin Province, asked, “Why did officials torture and kill my father Liu Chengjun? He only told people the facts about the persecution.”
Xu Shuai: “Why can’t I practice Falun Dafa?”
Xu Shuai from Jilin Province started to practice Falun Dafa when he was six. He has many questions: “Why did officials kill my father? Why did officials kill my grandfather? Why can’t I practice Falun Dafa?”
Some of these children are only two years old, and some are in their teens. Because of the CCP’s ruthless persecution, they have all suffered tremendously, far beyond what anyone their young age should bear. The happy childhood that should be theirs was taken away by the CCP, leaving them living in fear and darkness.
(To be continued)
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