Ye Haiyan

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Ye Haiyan
叶海燕
Born (1975-09-25) 25 September 1975 (age 50)
Xinzhou District, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
Known forActivism, women's rights in China

Ye Haiyan (born 1975) is a Chinese women's rights activist, best known for her actions in favor of prostitutes and children against violence and sexual aggression. She exposed the harsh conditions of local brothels, in which sex workers were sexually and physically abused. [1] She is also well known by the name of Hooligan Sparrow (流氓燕).

Contents

Activism

In 2005, Ye created a website to support sex workers. [2] She said that year marked her first encounter with feminism. [3] In 2006 Ye set up the China Grassroots Women's Rights Center in a red-light district in Wuhan to provide support for sex workers. [3] [4] She was not allowed to register the center as a non-governmental organization (NGO) by any government agency. [2]

In May 2012, Ye was driven to a wall after accumulating debt. Her determined writing an advocacy gained her the trust of better known Chinese artists like Ai Weiwei. The NGO office Ye was using after support in Guangxi was raided by eight plainclothes men who reportedly attacked her. Haiyan said after the attack that she presumed the men had been sent by the local government. [5] [6]

On 27 May 2013, she protested against a school director in Hainan accused of raping six female students, aged 12 to 13. [7] This sparked national outrage via Sina Weibo -- a microblogging website that is one of the largest social media platforms in China. [8] She held a poster to tell the principal to have a room with her, implying to have sex with her instead of the youth: "Principal, call me if you want to get a room. Leave the pupils alone." [9] Shortly after the release of her online campaigns against these cases of child abuse, Ye was physically attacked in her home by women who she believed to be sent by the local government. [10]

In June 2013, the filmmaker Ai Xiaoming worked together with Ye in her campaign to publicize the case of the six school girls, who were raped by the school principal and a government official. [11] [12] On 6 July 2013, Ye alongside her daughter and boyfriend Ling Huobo, were left abandoned on the side of the road by Guangdong secret agents. [8]

In May 2014, she was attacked in her home and arrested for being a whistleblower because she exposed the harsh conditions of local brothels, in which sex workers were sexually and physically abused. [4]

Hooligan Sparrow , a documentary by the Chinese-born American filmmaker Nanfu Wang featuring Ye, [13] was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. The documentary depicts Ye's 2013 campaign protesting against the school girls rape incident alongside other activists. [14] [15] [16] They become targets of harassment for these protests as they continue to raise awareness about the rape case through social media.

Personal life

Ye's activism has exposed the authorities and school officials but has had a negative effect on her daughter because schools are not willing to enroll her. [8]

Ye and her daughter have also reported to be victims of several physical assault incidents following Ye's campaigns against child abuse. [10] In an incident in Guangxi during May 2013, Ye defended her home and daughter against a group of women believed to be sent by the government, resulting in her administrative detainment for, the police claimed with allegedly falsified evidence, [17] injuring three of her attackers. [10] Ye and her family faced harassment following her release, and eventually had to leave their home and reside in the Guangdong province.

References

  1. ↑ Dargis, Manohla (22 July 2016). "Review: In 'Hooligan Sparrow,' a Chinese Activist's Hair-Raising Defiance of the State". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2025.
  2. 1 2 Mooney, Paul (31 July 2012). "China's Sex-Worker Warrior Ye Haiyan Fights for Prostitutes' Rights". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 Benney, Jonathan (2012). "How to Avoid the Centre: The Strategies of a Small Feminist Workshop in Rural China" (PDF). International Journal of China Studies. 3 (3): 383–410.
  4. 1 2 Yu, Jess Macy (4 November 2014). "Ye Haiyan, Rights Campaigner, Is Detained Over Photo Posted Online". Sinosphere Blog, The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Ye Haiyan". Front Line Defenders. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Ye Haiyan - China Digital Space". chinadigitaltimes.net. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Activist Ye Haiyan continues 'dirty battle' for sex workers' rights". South China Morning Post. 30 June 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Kaiman, Jonathan (7 July 2013). "Chinese women's rights activist Ye Haiyan made homeless say reports". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  9. ↑ Branigan, Tania (3 June 2013). "Chinese police refuse to release activist who campaigned against child abuse". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 "Case History: Ye Heiyan". Front Line Defenders. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  11. ↑ Lau, Mimi (12 June 2013). "Activist Ai Xiaoming makes naked plea against growing sexual abuse of minors". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Pedroletti, Brice (20 June 2013). "La nudité, arme de protestation massive". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Hooligan Sparrow | Human Rights Watch Film Festival". ff.hrw.org. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  14. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (22 July 2016). "Film Review: 'Hooligan Sparrow'". Variety. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  15. ↑ "Hooligan Sparrow | POV". PBS. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  16. ↑ Erbland, Kate (8 December 2015). "The Complete 2016 Sundance Film Festival Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  17. ↑ Wang, Nanfu (2016). Hooligan Sparrow (documentary film). Little Horse Crossing the River. 27:20 minutes in.
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