Human Trafficking
Provincial police, courts, and the women's federation in Henan province began a coordinated attack on domestic violence and human trafficking, according to a July 27 Jinbao Net report. The Chinese government has adopted anti-trafficking laws and regulations since 1986, but the problem continues to grow. Public security officials reported in early 2005 that abduction of victims for sale is still on the rise, and now involves more violence, larger criminal gangs, and sale of victims across international borders. In addition to abducting women for sale as wives and children for illegal adoption, gangs now abduct people for forced labor and prostitution.
Public security agencies rescued 5,461 abducted women and 3,488 abducted children nationwide in 2004, according to a Xinhua article. While highlighting this work, the Xinhua piece and a related article published in the Procuratorial Daily also paint a disturbing picture of trends in human trafficking in China.