China probes husband of chained mother of eight after outcry

A preference for baby boys has created a gender imbalance in China, where there are nearly 35 million more men than women. Photo: Filepic/AFP

Chinese officials are investigating the husband of a mother of eight after footage of her chained by the neck sparked fears on social media that she’d been trafficked to bear children.

Details relating to the man surnamed Dong would be released "in due course,” officials in the eastern city of Xuzhou said in a Tuesday statement, while guardianship of the children would be determined "according to the law.” Officials had visited local police stations and villages, reviewed archives and consulted legal experts as part of the investigation.