Authorities in southern China have left one of the country's most prominent women's rights activists, Ye Haiyan, homeless, according to accounts on social media websites by Ye and her supporters.

On Saturday, Ye was evicted from her rental home in Zhongshan, Guangdong province. Guangdong security agents abandoned her on the side of the road with her boyfriend, Ling Haobo, and 14-year-old daughter.

Ling posted a picture online showing Ye – who has advocated on behalf of prostitutes, people with Aids and abused children – sitting on the roadside surrounded by the family's belongings, suitcases, appliances and sealed cardboard boxes. "Zhongshan does not welcome you; Guangzhou does not welcome you either. I will break your legs if I ever see you again in Zhongshan," one of the security agents said after leaving Ye on the roadside, according to Ling's post on Sina Weibo, China's most popular microblog.

Ye has returned to her hometown in Wuhan, Hubei province, according to Yaxue Cao, a Chinese writer and activist living in Washington. Ye could not be reached for comment. "If there's a mishap, I don't have any other demands — I only hope that my able and kindhearted friends help me look after my child," Ye tweeted on Saturday.

Attacks on Ye began last month after she launched an internet campaign protesting against a string of child abuse scandals in Chinese schools, including one in southern Hainan province, where a primary school principal allegedly raped six female students in a hotel. Ye posted a picture of herself in Hainan holding a poster that read "principal, get a room with me – leave the school kids alone". Her post quickly went viral on Sina Weibo, and thousands of users responded by posting images of themselves holding similar signs.

Days later, 11 people stormed into Ye's home in Bobai, Guangxi province, and began to beat her; Ye attempted to ward them off with a meat cleaver. Local authorities reacted by detaining Ye for 13 days, claiming she had injured three of her attackers. Local police insisted the incident had nothing to do with her Hainan protest.

Ye moved out of Bobai with her daughter and boyfriend in mid-June and resettled in Zhongshan with the help of a fellow activist. But her problems followed close behind — local schools refused to enroll her daughter and electricity to her house was cut.

Ye and her family travelled to Guangzhou to seek help from Ai Xiaoming, a women's studies professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou and vocal supporter of Ye's activism. Her daughter spent the night at Ai's apartment.

"[Ye] is a protector of women and children's rights," Ai told the South China Morning Post. "The police are supposed to crack down on criminals, but we are seeing the opposite today. This is a disgusting act aimed at humiliating her."