When photos of two orphaned children bound in chains at a government-run welfare institute in Wenzhou's Cangnan county was published in the local paper, it rocked the whole country.
Experts said a lack of professional nursing staff was the main reason the children were chained and said such cases occurred at welfare institutes across China.
The photos depicted two-year-old Guo Qun tethered to the back of an old wooden chair by a strip of cloth around his neck. Next to him eight-year-old Guo Cheng's right foot was tied to the same chair by an iron chain.
The photos were taken by a volunteer during a visit to the welfare house in June.
In comments that have shocked the public, authorities said staff of Cangnan County Social Welfare Institute tied up the boys due to safety concerns and claimed they were not being punished.
"Although the president of the welfare house was suspended, the staff were not as they didn't do it with intent," said Wu Jiaxing from Cangnan's civil affairs bureau.
"Children (of the welfare house) are only restrained when they have a twitch or a propensity to violence — they're free for the rest of time."
According to Wu, both the boys were born with defects and that is why they ended up in the welfare institute.
"Guo Qun is suffering from congenital deafmutism and he has epilepsy, that's why staff has to fix him (with a strip of cloth) when he relieves himself — he's incontinent," said Wu. "Guo Cheng has schizophrenia and he's capable of violence."
However, the photos of the boys in chains were taken during mealtime and both boys were locked up while eating.
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