On the afternoon of October 13 2011, on a narrow road in the Chinese city of Foshan in central Guangdong province, a travesty occurred. A two-year-old girl, Wang Yue, affectionately called Yue Yue, was run over by two motorists in the middle of a busy road.
The little girl had wandered off from her home while her mother was collecting laundry. In those few minutes, as she wandered in the middle of the road, a white van struck her, knocking her to the ground right under its front wheels. The driver of the van, realising he had hit something, paused for a few seconds before driving off. In the process, as he pulled the van forward, the rear wheel of the van drove over Yue Yue.
What happened in the seven minutes after the incident would stun the entire world.
As the little girl lay injured and bleeding on the ground, 18 individuals walked right past her, with some moving around her to prevent stepping over the blood that was pooling around her. Others paused briefly to look at Yue Yue, then proceeded to walk away.
In that seven minutes, Yue Yue was hit for the second time, this time by a large truck that ran over her legs with both front and rear tyres.
The little girl was eventually assisted by an older woman, Chen Xianmei, who was collecting trash and scraps to sell. The frail old woman placed the injured and unconscious child on the side of the road and got help for her. Despite the best efforts of the medical team that attended to her, Yue Yue eventually died of systematic organ failure in the hospital.
The horrific death of Yue Yue was captured on CCTV and shown to the world, sparking outrage in China and beyond. The degree of callousness shown by the 18 people who walked past a child bleeding to death in the middle of the road can only be described as incalculable.
Many argued that the actions of the 18 individuals illustrated the moral decline in Chinese society.
It was, indeed, a terrifying demonstration of what happens when a society’s sense of responsibility towards each other is eroded. In the aftermath of Yue Yue’s death, Good Samaritan laws were passed across several provinces in China, and more than a decade after her death, a national Good Samaritan law came into force. The law penalises people who fail to help those in distress, while simultaneously indemnifying such people from lawsuits or any criminal charges, should their efforts to help be in vain.
Several countries have Good Samaritan laws and they have encouraged bystanders to get involved when they witness people being in distress or crimes taking place. The level of desensitisation to crime in SA makes a compelling case for the introduction of such laws in our country.
I made this argument to a friend, arguing that over the years, there have been many reports of bystanders doing nothing as people were being robbed, hijacked, assaulted or even killed. I contended that this necessitates the instituting of a legal imperative for people to help.
She reminded me of numerous cases where bystanders have tried to help but ended up shot and killed. The story of Mandla Hlatswayo and Oupa Duma dominated the debate. The two were shot dead outside a club in Soweto while trying to help two women who were being robbed. Similar cases have been reported.
I wrote this article to extend the debate with Sowetan readers. Could Good Samaritan laws bring back our sense of responsibility towards one another, or do conditions of crime and a failing criminal justice system make this impossible?
MALAIKA MAHLATSI | Could Good Samaritan laws bring back our sense of responsibility towards one another?
The law passed in China in 20 penalises people who fail to help those in distress, while simultaneously indemnifying them from lawsuits or any criminal charges should their efforts to help be in vain.
Image: Freddy Mavundla
On the afternoon of October 13 2011, on a narrow road in the Chinese city of Foshan in central Guangdong province, a travesty occurred. A two-year-old girl, Wang Yue, affectionately called Yue Yue, was run over by two motorists in the middle of a busy road.
The little girl had wandered off from her home while her mother was collecting laundry. In those few minutes, as she wandered in the middle of the road, a white van struck her, knocking her to the ground right under its front wheels. The driver of the van, realising he had hit something, paused for a few seconds before driving off. In the process, as he pulled the van forward, the rear wheel of the van drove over Yue Yue.
What happened in the seven minutes after the incident would stun the entire world.
As the little girl lay injured and bleeding on the ground, 18 individuals walked right past her, with some moving around her to prevent stepping over the blood that was pooling around her. Others paused briefly to look at Yue Yue, then proceeded to walk away.
In that seven minutes, Yue Yue was hit for the second time, this time by a large truck that ran over her legs with both front and rear tyres.
The little girl was eventually assisted by an older woman, Chen Xianmei, who was collecting trash and scraps to sell. The frail old woman placed the injured and unconscious child on the side of the road and got help for her. Despite the best efforts of the medical team that attended to her, Yue Yue eventually died of systematic organ failure in the hospital.
The horrific death of Yue Yue was captured on CCTV and shown to the world, sparking outrage in China and beyond. The degree of callousness shown by the 18 people who walked past a child bleeding to death in the middle of the road can only be described as incalculable.
Many argued that the actions of the 18 individuals illustrated the moral decline in Chinese society.
It was, indeed, a terrifying demonstration of what happens when a society’s sense of responsibility towards each other is eroded. In the aftermath of Yue Yue’s death, Good Samaritan laws were passed across several provinces in China, and more than a decade after her death, a national Good Samaritan law came into force. The law penalises people who fail to help those in distress, while simultaneously indemnifying such people from lawsuits or any criminal charges, should their efforts to help be in vain.
Several countries have Good Samaritan laws and they have encouraged bystanders to get involved when they witness people being in distress or crimes taking place. The level of desensitisation to crime in SA makes a compelling case for the introduction of such laws in our country.
I made this argument to a friend, arguing that over the years, there have been many reports of bystanders doing nothing as people were being robbed, hijacked, assaulted or even killed. I contended that this necessitates the instituting of a legal imperative for people to help.
She reminded me of numerous cases where bystanders have tried to help but ended up shot and killed. The story of Mandla Hlatswayo and Oupa Duma dominated the debate. The two were shot dead outside a club in Soweto while trying to help two women who were being robbed. Similar cases have been reported.
I wrote this article to extend the debate with Sowetan readers. Could Good Samaritan laws bring back our sense of responsibility towards one another, or do conditions of crime and a failing criminal justice system make this impossible?
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