A case involving a 12-year-old girl who suffered a level-6 disability after working in an unlicensed workshop became a trending topic on October 20.
According to media reports, in 2025, a 12-year-old girl named Xiaoya from Handan City sustained a level-6 disability while working at an unlicensed rubber clay factory. The court ruling showed that the factory bore 70% of the liability, while the guardian bore 30%. After the judgment took effect, because no labor capacity assessment had been conducted at the time of the ruling, the court did not award disability compensation. Xiaoya's family later filed a claim for compensation with the Quzhou County Labor Arbitration Commission, and the case has now been transferred to the Handan City Arbitration Commission for review.
Why a 12-year-old ended up in an unlicensed workshop: saving for a concert ticket
Xiaoya's stepmother, Ms. Xue, told reporters that in July 2025, Xiaoya, who had just graduated from primary school at age 12, told her family she did not want to continue her education. During that time, Xiaoya asked to attend a singer's concert and hoped her parents would pay for a ticket costing over 1,000 yuan. Considering the family's financial situation, Ms. Xue and her husband discussed it and decided not to fulfill this request.
Ms. Xue explained that there are seven people in the household. Although Xiaoya is her stepdaughter, she has always treated her as her own child. To supplement the family income, Ms. Xue would take on rubber clay toy packaging work at home, and Xiaoya would occasionally help out.
On November 25, 2025, the operator of a rubber clay processing site, surnamed Gao, reached an agreement with Ms. Xue to have Xiaoya work at Gao's workshop. Xiaoya told reporters by phone that she initially agreed to work at the rubber clay processing site to earn money for a concert ticket. "The daily work at the workshop involves cutting the rubber clay and feeding it into a machine for shaping. I worked eight and a half hours a day, with a normal daily wage of 50 yuan."
At around 4 p.m. on December 8, 2025, while feeding rubber clay into the machine, Xiaoya's right arm was accidentally caught in the machinery. That day, after emergency treatment at a workers' hospital, Xiaoya's life was no longer in danger. The injury diagnosis issued by the hospital included "open fracture of the right upper arm humerus" and "partial rupture and embolism of the right elbow brachial artery," totaling 20 injuries. Xiaoya was hospitalized for 28 days before being transferred back to Quzhou County Hospital for continued rehabilitation treatment.
Court ruling: factory 70% liable, guardian 30% liable
Ms. Xue said that after the incident, Gao paid 10,000 yuan in medical expenses and promised the next day to cover subsequent treatment costs, "but when we later sought the medical fees, the other party refused." After negotiations for compensation failed, Xiaoya's biological father, Mr. Li, filed a civil lawsuit with the Quzhou County People's Court.
On May 20, 2026, the court issued a ruling: Xiaoya suffered harm while providing labor services, and the defendant bore significant fault for her injuries. The court ruled that the rubber clay processing factory operators, Gao and Su, a married couple, were 70% liable for the losses, totaling 72,070.4 yuan; after deducting the 10,000 yuan already paid in medical expenses, they still owed 62,070.4 yuan. The plaintiff's guardian had not fully fulfilled their legal guardianship obligations and bore fault for improper guardianship, so the court ruled the guardian 30% liable.
Ms. Xue said that after the judgment took effect, Su and Gao never paid the corresponding medical fees.
Human resources bureau: factory operated without a license and hired a minor
At the time of the court ruling, because the labor capacity damage assessment had not yet been completed, the court did not award disability compensation. Stepmother Ms. Xue then submitted a labor arbitration application to the Quzhou County Labor Arbitration Commission. The commission subsequently entrusted a third party to conduct a labor capacity assessment for Xiaoya.
On June 30, 2026, the Handan City Labor Capacity Assessment Committee issued an assessment opinion showing that Xiaoya constituted a "level-6 disability; does not meet the criteria for a self-care ability impairment grade."
On July 15, 2026, the Quzhou County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau issued an administrative penalty decision for labor security supervision, finding that Gao committed the following illegal acts: "As the actual operator of the rubber clay processing factory in Tianshui Village, Baizhai Town, during the workshop's operation, you engaged in the illegal act of operating without a business license and hiring a minor under the age of 16 (Xiaoya) to engage in production and business activities, which constitutes the illegal use of child labor without a business license."
The arbitration case was subsequently transferred to the Handan City Labor Arbitration Commission. A notice of case acceptance provided by Ms. Xue shows that the Handan City Labor Arbitration Commission accepted the case on August 20.
Later, Xiaoya's family reported the matter to local police. Reporters attempted to contact the Baizhai Police Station in Quzhou County to learn about the case's progress, but staff declined an interview. Reporters then repeatedly called Gao to ask for his response to Xiaoya's family's account, but as of publication, the phone had not been answered.
What do you think about this matter? Let's discuss in the comments.
Comments