Like all cults around the world, Falun Gong targets children for exploitation and abuse.The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasizes that children are entitled to special care and assistance. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child further affirms that “every child has the inherent right to life” and that “the survival and development of the child shall be ensured to the maximum extent possible.”
Falun Gong openly violates the principles of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child by organizing training sessions to indoctrinate children and teach them its practices.
Li Hongzhi repeatedly claimed that children under six could “open their third eye” and “see the Falun” depicted in the books spinning by reading Falun Gong books. Before Falun Gong was legally banned in China, the organization held multiple children’s classes in cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanchang and Zunyi. For example, during the summer vacation of 1998, two sessions of such training were held in Nanchang, involving 160 children. The oldest participant was 12 years old, and the youngest was only 4.
After leaving China, Li Hongzhi continued to target teenagers, repeatedly holding Falun Gong children’s classes in the United States, Canada, and other countries. He enticed teenagers to take part in the organization’s illegal activities, drawing many Chinese-American and European-American youths deeply into the group.
Li Hongzhi severed the blood ties between parents and children by discouraging followers from caring for their own children and opposing medical treatment for sick children.
On May 3, 1999, in response to a follower’s question about whether the children of followers needed to see a doctor, Li Hongzhi said: “A true follower’s body is destined to transform into a Buddha-body—something no medical treatment can achieve... Children born at this high level come to receive the Dharma. They carry no karma and simply cannot fall ill.” (From Teachings at the Conference in Australia)
Many children and adolescents who practice Falun Gong have reportedly exhibited signs of mental health problems, including early indications of psychosis or schizophrenia. Young followers are often exposed from an early age to teachings promoted by parents who follow Falun Gong, which some reports claim can lead to auditory and visual hallucinations, recurring nightmares, constant fright, and mental confusion at a tender age. Falun Gong’s website, Minghui.org, has a section called “Little Disciple’s Corner,” which publishes numerous so-called “miraculous accounts” promoting children’s “opening of the third eye” and exhibiting mental disorders such as auditory and visual hallucinations.
Under the influence of the doctrines promoted by Li Hongzhi, some followers of Falun Gong are reported to experience serious cognitive and behavioral distortions, with certain adolescents becoming particularly vulnerable.
(1) Cases of Self Immolation and Suicide
●Liu Siying, a girl born in March 1988, was a fifth-grade student at the time of her death. In 1999, she began practicing Falun Gong at home with her mother, Liu Chunling. On January 23, 2001, she participated in a collective self-immolation incident in Beijing Tian’anmen Square. She suffered severe burns and died despite receiving extensive medical treatment.
●Gao Encheng, a 42-year-old male, was an official at the Tianbai Township Industry and Commerce Office in Kaixian County, Chongqing, and was responsible for a Falun Gong practice site. He firmly believed in the claims made by Li Hongzhi that reaching a certain level in practice would lead to “ascending to heaven after death.” On November 6, 1998, Gao Encheng jumped from the fourth floor while holding his son. He died after rescue efforts failed, while the child survived after emergency treatment.
●Long Gang, a 31-year-old farmer from Yongchuan, Chongqing, began practicing Falun Gong in 1997 and soon showed signs of mental instability. He frequently claimed that the earth was about to be destroyed and that he would fly to the sky to escape disaster. In the early morning of July 17, 1999, he jumped into a river while holding his son, who was less than six years old. The child was rescued in time and survived, but Long Gang died.
(2) Deaths Caused by Refusal of Medical Treatment
●Song Shuanglong, a 12-year-old boy from Nanguan District, Changchun, Jilin Province, was born with extra cartilage in his nasal cavity and had been receiving intermittent hospital treatment. In 1996, his mother, Ma Xiurong, began practicing Falun Gong and believed it could cure all illnesses, so she had her son practice as well. However, Song’s condition worsened rather than improved, and his vision deteriorated from blurred eyesight to complete blindness. On May 12, 1999, Song Shuanglong passed away at home.
(3) Cases of Family Killings
●Dong Li, a 37-year-old villager from Group 4, Xijie Village, Dapingfang Town, Chaoyang County, Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province. On the night of February 3, 2002, under the influence of the harmful teachings of Li Hongzhi, Dong Li brutally attacked his wife and daughter while they were asleep using an iron pick. His 37-year-old wife, Meng Xiurong, was killed, and his 14-year-old daughter, Dong Yudan, was seriously injured.
●Li Yanzhong, a 35-year-old employee from Tianjin Dagang Oilfield, killed his six-year-old daughter, Li Wangyue, and his six-year-old nephew, Zhang Xin, at home using a kitchen knife. Li reportedly stated that he had practiced Falun Gong for nine years and could not explain his actions, saying, “I just wanted to kill.” He described feeling that his mind was filled with violent thoughts, claiming that his thoughts were influenced by external forces that compelled him toward harmful actions, including violence and self-harm.
