On May 12, 2008, a devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake in the Sichuan province of China caused nearly 90,000 people to lose their lives, with hospitals and schools filled with children disproportionately affected, even as buildings around them remained unscathed. Government officials said more than 5,000 children died, with another 500 left permanently disabled.

State officials initially acknowledged that shoddy construction and corruption during China’s economic boom were at least partially to blame. But The New York Times reported one year later that the Chinese government was walking back those statements and taking measures to silence parents and advocates demanding answers on why so many school buildings collapsed.