Ye Haiyan facts for kids

Ye Haiyan (born in 1975) is a Chinese activist who works for equal rights for everyone. She is well-known for helping women, and children who have faced violence or unfair treatment. She also spoke out about difficult situations where people were abused. Many people know her by the name Hooligan Sparrow.

Ye Haiyan's Work for Change

Starting Her Activism

In 2005, Ye Haiyan started a website. This website was created to help people who were being treated badly. She said this was when she first learned about fighting for women's rights. The next year, she started the China Grassroots Women's Rights Center. This group worked to support women's rights from the ground up.

Facing Challenges and Speaking Out

By May 2012, Ye Haiyan faced money problems. She also found it hard to get official support for her group. Despite these challenges, her strong writing and efforts gained her support. Famous Chinese artists, like Ai WeiWei, trusted her work.

Later, the office Ye Haiyan was using was visited by people who attacked her. She believed these people were sent by local officials.

Protesting for Students

On May 27, 2013, Ye Haiyan protested in Hainan. She was speaking out against a school director. This director was accused of harming six female students, aged 12 to 13. Her protest caused a lot of discussion across China. This happened especially on Sina Weibo, a big social media site.

She held a poster with a message for the director. It said, "Principal, call me if you want to get a room. Leave the pupils alone." This message meant he should leave the young students alone. Soon after she started these online campaigns, Ye Haiyan was attacked at her home. She believed the women who attacked her were sent by local officials.

In June 2013, filmmaker Ai Xiaoming worked with Ye Haiyan. They worked together to share information about the students' situation. On July 6, 2013, Ye Haiyan, her daughter, and her boyfriend were left by the side of the road. This happened after they were with secret agents from Guangdong.

In May 2014, she was attacked at her home again. She was arrested for speaking out. She had shared information about difficult situations where people were abused.

The Hooligan Sparrow Documentary

A documentary film called Hooligan Sparrow was made about Ye Haiyan. It was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. The film shows her 2013 campaign. This campaign protested the incident involving the school students.

In the documentary, Ye Haiyan and other activists are shown. They are raising awareness and protesting harm against children. They became a focus for the media because of their protests. They kept sharing their efforts on social media. Eventually, Ye Haiyan and her activist friends left the country. This was because they felt threatened by the Chinese government.

Ye Haiyan's Family Life

Ye Haiyan's activism has brought attention to officials and schools. However, it has also made things difficult for her daughter. Some schools have not wanted to enroll her daughter.

Ye Haiyan and her daughter have also been physically attacked several times. These attacks happened after Ye Haiyan shared her online campaigns. In May 2013, in Guangxi, Ye Haiyan defended her home and daughter. She was attacked by a group of women. She believed these women were sent by the government. She injured three of her attackers. This led to her being held by authorities for a short time. After she was released, Ye Haiyan and her family faced harassment. They eventually had to leave their home and move to Guangdong province.

External Links

• Documentary about Ye, titled Hooligan Sparrow, streaming at PBS