Beijing: In a major campaign against
human trafficking, Chinese police claimed to have rescued
hundreds of kidnapped children and women from a southwest
province over the past two years.
Police have rescued 151 children and 209 women from
crime rings in southwest China`s Guizhou Province, state-run
Xinhua news agency reported quoting local authorities.
Guizhou police broke up 47 human trafficking rings,
detained 81 suspects and punished 450 people since the
campaign began in May 2008, the report said.
Human trafficking is a major problem in rural China.
Though fewer cases have been reported in recent
years, women from poor households are still sold as brides.
Moreover, baby boys are abducted so they can be sold
to childless couples or couples who want a son rather than a
daughter, it said.
The crime gangs typically kidnap women and children
in China`s poor southwest provinces. They then sell the
victims to central and eastern China, reducing the chances the
victims can return home.
In addition to the crackdown, police have stepped up
measures to help abducted children be reunited with their
biological parents. The measures include a database with DNA
samples from children suspected of being kidnapped and their
parents.
The database has helped reunite 813 children with
their parents, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
PTI
