Beijing, Nov 13 (IANS): Three convicted child sex offenders were executed in China on Wednesday, according to an official statement from the Supreme People's Court, the country's highest court.

The sentencing and execution of the three criminals, all of whom were found to be rapists who targeted girls under the age of 14, have demonstrated China's zero tolerance of child sex abuse and are expected to serve as a further deterrent for child sex offenders, the court said.

One of the three men executed, a primary school teacher with the surname Guo, was found guilty of raping six female students over 100 times between 2013 and 2019. All of the victims were under the age of 14 when they were first abused by Guo.

The second man executed, a labourer surnamed Shang, was found to have sexually abused eight girls through the use of deceit or force between 2011 and 2020. He had met his victims in various public locations, including parks, buses and kindergarten gates. He was also found to have coerced several of his victims into continued sexual relationships by threatening to reveal indecent images of them, the statement said.

The third man executed, a village shopkeeper surnamed Gong, was found guilty of coercing a girl in his village into sexual acts for almost five consecutive years, beginning in 2015, at which time the victim was under the age of 12. In 2020, after multiple instances of sexual abuse by Gong and other offenders, the victim took her own life at the age of 16, according to the statement.

The top court stressed that China's people's courts will hand down sentences decisively for child sex abuse crimes that warrant the death penalty, Xinhua news agency reported.

It noted that most offenders of child sex abuse cases have been found to be family members, teachers or neighbors of victims, or to have met their victims online. Perpetrators of child sex crimes often target minors with a low ability to protect themselves and inadequate family supervision -- especially rural children whose parents have moved away for work, and children with intellectual disabilities.

According to China's Criminal Law, any person who engages in sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 14 will be deemed to have committed rape and will be handed a heavier punishment.