Human Trafficking
The Guizhou High People's Court sentenced seven people to death and 38 people to punishments ranging from five years to life in jail for child trafficking, according to an October 19 Xinhua report. The Anshun Municipal Public Security Bureau set up a special investigation team that uncovered the network responsible for abducting 61 children in Anshun and Guiyang from April to September 2003. Most of the children were boys under five, and traffickers sold to them to counties in Henan and Hebei, according to an October 20 SCMP report. Officials have recovered 25 of the victims.
Shanghai police are investigating a baby auction posted on October 16 through eBay's Chinese Web site, according to the China Daily, Associated Press, and Reuters. A spokesman for the Web site revealed that the company had deleted the posting and reported the matter to local investigators. Shanghai public security officials released no details on the investigation.
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.