
A TikTok video of a woman in China's Xuzhou village in Jiangsu being chained and living in horrific condictions has shocked netizens in the country.
The woman who reportedly has eight kids was shown chained around her neck as a vlogger filmed her as he visited the village. In the video the man offers her warm clothes as its freezing outside, however, the woman is unable to understand him.
Netizens were appaled after watching the video and demanded action by authorities. The video went viral on China's social networking site Weibo as users wanted to know who chained her as reports claimed Weibo shut down hashtags related to the woman.
The authorities claimed the woman had developed mental illness and engaged in violent behaviour. The family apparently decided to keep her separate from their home while putting her in a small hut. China's women's federation has now got involved in helping the family, reports said.
The hashtag “official announcement regarding the circumstances of the Xuzhou woman with eight kids” went viral receiving 150 million views and thousands of comments as netizens criticised the authorities as some wondered whether she was a victim of human trafficking.
The woman had apparently married a man named Dong in 1998 as reports claimed he is now under investigation. Bloggers on China's social media claimed the woman has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital and the kids have been relocated, but it hasn't been confirmed by authorities.
(With inputs from Agencies)