A teenager rescued from seven years of alleged maltreatment at the hands of his aunt and uncle has appeared before the court in Pingyuan county, Meizhou city, Guangdong province.

The news came from a statement released by Guangdong High People's Procuratorate on Friday.

Xiao Ming's aunt was suspected to have maltreated him for more than seven years, starting when he was seven years old, resulting in severe physical and psychological damage, the statement said.

Xiao, born in 2004, lived with his father after his parents divorced in May 2008. After his father died in a mining accident in October the same year however, Xiao was sent to live with his grandparents.

It was in May 2011 when his uncle (his father's older brother) and aunt forced Xiao to live with them that the alleged maltreatment began.

It is claimed that the family treated him so poorly that he had insufficient food and clothes, and that he dropped out of school to do farm work for his aunt.

Xiao was rescued when procurators from Pingyuan county visited his village during a campaign focused on protecting children's rights in March last year.

Procurators interviewed Xiao's grandparents, visited Xiao's former primary school teachers, and contacted Xiao's mother during their visit.

Procurators then transferred Xiao's case to local police and suggested the detention of his aunt while they further investigated the case, having found evidence of maltreatment in his uncle's home.

After a health examination in a local hospital, Xiao returned to live with his grandparents.

With the help of the county's procuratorate and relevant government departments, Xiao returned to school in September.

The procuratorates of Meizhou city and Pingyuan county have jointly granted a 60,000 yuan ($8,860) relief fund to help financially support Xiao.

An open public hearing into the matter is to be launched by Pingyuan county people's court.