1. [para. 1][para. 2][para. 3] In Nanchang’s People’s Park on Children’s Day, 39-year-old Shi Ke waited in vain for her 3-year-old son, Xiaoqing, who had been violently snatched from a Beijing street by her husband, Du Lei, on Oct. 24. By June 21, 241 days had passed since the incident, which involved masked individuals. The Chaoyang District People’s Court issued an injunction, detained Du for 15 days, and later ordered him to return the child within three days, but he still refused.
2. [para. 7][para. 8][para. 9] Shi’s ordeal is shared by many in the “Purple Ribbon” group – parents separated from children taken by the other spouse during divorce disputes. Data from the Beijing High People’s Court shows that custody, guardianship, and visitation disputes arising from parents hiding or snatching children are on the rise. More than 90% of such cases stemmed from adult conflicts, with children becoming bargaining chips. Over 70% of affected children were younger than 8, making them especially vulnerable to serious harm.
3. [para. 12][para. 13][para. 16][para. 18] Shi, a Tsinghua University doctorate holder, began speaking out on social media after months of searching. Under pressure from courts and public opinion, Du relented only slightly, offering a temporary address for visits in Nanchang. In Dali, Yunnan, He Shuang, whose son Mengbao was taken by her husband’s side in September 2019, followed Shi’s case closely. He’s separation has lasted even longer; she developed rheumatoid arthritis and considered suicide after losing contact with her son.
4. [para. 20][para. 22][para. 25][para. 26][para. 27] Zhang Junling, a rural Henan woman, regained her child in three months, inspiring Purple Ribbon parents. Her son Huanhuan was snatched by her ex-husband on Feb. 17, 2025 – about two weeks after a Supreme People’s Court interpretation took effect on Feb. 1, allowing protection orders for snatched children. Zhang taught herself custody law, pushed the court daily, and eventually obtained an injunction. After the father refused to return the child, police accompanied Zhang to the man’s home on May 16 to retrieve her son.
5. [para. 28][para. 30][para. 31] Despite Zhang’s success, Shi’s case remains “stuck” more than a month after the court extended the injunction. The parent hiding the child often avoids service, making injunctions hard to execute. Using refusal-to-execute charges to force enforcement is exceedingly rare. Some courts have awarded custody to the parent who snatched the child, citing “not changing a long-term stable environment” as a decisive factor, even when that environment was obtained unlawfully.
6. [para. 34][para. 36][para. 37][para. 40][para. 41] Hu Changming, an associate professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says enforcing custody judgments is one of the hardest areas, as personal enforcement lacks clear starting points. Violating an injunction must carry clear consequences – fines, detention, or criminal refusal-to-execute charges – or the law becomes a “dead letter.” Hu recommends China introduce a family court system like in the U.S. and Germany. Chen Aiwu, a Nanjing Normal University professor, suggests legislation requiring public-security authorities to help find hidden children, but cautions against convicting the snatching parent, as it could harm the child’s future.
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