WHY A YOUNG BOY IN CHINA HAS SPENT HIS WHOLE LIFE CHAINED UP LIKE A SAVAGE DOG

WHY A YOUNG BOY IN CHINA HAS SPENT HIS WHOLE LIFE CHAINED UP LIKE A
SAVAGE DOG

 

It is a widely known and accepted fact that most young boys have a tendency to be a bit on the wild side, but most parents do not usually have to go as far as chaining their sons up like dogs.

But such is the case with a severely mentally handicapped boy named He Zili, an 11-year-old living in Zhejiang, the eastern coastal province of China. He Zili has spent the majority of his life chained up and cared for by his intellectually handicapped father and his physically handicapped grandfather since the death of his mother, who died from cancer years ago.

He Zili suffers from acute brain damage. His family says he injured his head when he was just one year old, and has unfortunately never been able to return to normal. His family say that they have no choice but to keep him locked up to a chain because he has a tendency to attack people at random, unpredictable moments. His bondage is also partly for his own safety, as the mentally handicapped boy is additionally prone to running away on his own and getting lost.

At his home, young He Zili is always strapped to a metal chain that his father and grandfather keep securely locked on one of his ankles. When the whole family must go into public together, He is led around by his chain and must be constantly watched and stopped from attacking random strangers. It is difficult for He’s father and grandfather to care for him, as the family is impoverished and lack adequate means to support the special needs of the boy.

This unfortunate situation is just one example of how mental disorders are poorly dealt with in China. China’s National Center for Mental Health recently released statistics showing that in 2013, roughly 100 million, or one out of every 13 Chinese people suffer from some form of mental illness, including paranoid psychosis and schizophrenia.