A blind Chinese woman has admitted to selling four of her new-born children to support her family because her husband can't hold down a steady job.
Between 2005 and 2012 Du Xiurong, from Shibei Village in Mianyang, south-west China's Sichuan Province, sold four of her new newborn babies - three girls and one boy.
In total Du, has given birth to six children, but has only kept her eldest son and eldest daughter.
Desperate measures: Du Xiurong, pictured with her grandson, admits she has sold four of her children in order to raise money to support her family after her husband was unable to hold down a steady job
Poverty: Between 2005 and 2012 Du, from Shibei Village in Mianyang, south-west China's Sichuan Province, sold four of her new newborn babies - three girls and one boy - for a total of 10,000 yuan (£1,070)
'I love babies': She says that if she were capable to support the youngsters then she would have kept them all
'I have no other choice. If I were not blinded I wouldn't have to do this,' she said.
'I am not selling them out, but giving them away. In return I only charge a bit for pregnancy fees.
'I love babies. If I were capable, I definitely would bring them up. But I really can't support them. I then find them good families to adopt them.'
Claiming that she has done nothing wrong, Du said: 'I gave out babies to families which can't give birth. They want babies and I helped them.'
She added: 'Rich people give out money for a daughter's wedding. Middle-class people earn money for a daughter's marriage, and poor people sell sons and daughters.'
Rural: As China has a one-child policy, Du has had to hide her pregnancies from the village officials
Hard life: Du was blinded in an accident when she was five, and she got married when she was 14
'My parents saw me as a burden': Du was married off as soon as they found someone who wanted her
Scratching out a living: However, she soon found that her husband was unable to hold down a job
Poor: As Du's son and daughter grew up the family found themselves in need of money for the their education
This January Du was detained for selling her babies, but she was released not long after due to her disability.
According to Du, who was blinded in an accident when she was five, she got married when she was 14.
'My parents saw me as a burden,,' she said. 'They wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible. So when they knew someone wanted to get married with me they couldn't wait to push me out'.
However, she soon found that her husband was unable to hold down a job.
'As a normal person, he can't earn any money. On the contrary, I, a blinded person, had to support the whole family,' she said.
Du gave birth to her first baby, a boy, Cheng Jin, in 1991. Then in 2000 she gave birth to her first daughter, Sun Miao.
As Du's first son and daughter grew up the family were found themselves in need of money for the children's education.
So Du made a choice, which was to give birth and sell her babies. In 2005, Du sold her second daughter for 2,500 Yuan (£268). In the following seven years Du sold three more babies.
Tough decision: Du sold a daughter for 2,500 yuan in 2005 and, over the next seven years, sold three more
'I'll give the boy a good education, even if I have to sell everything': Du has now has become a grandmother and she is already planning how to raise money for her grandson's future education
As China has a one-child policy, Du has had to hide her pregnancies from the village officials. 'If I was discovered, they would force me to abort. I can't let them do that,' she said.
In total Du has sold her four children for around 10,000 Yuan (£1,070).
Du has now has become a grandmother and she is already planning how to raise money for her grandson's future education.
'I'll give the boy a good education, even if I have to sell everything.'
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