Last month Beijing police freed 10,621 women and 5,896 children who had been abducted for human trafficking. This is in response to a crackdown on trafficking instigated by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security in April of 2009.
The police apprehended 2,398 human trafficking gang members and handled 13,500 such cases, said the Ministry.
The police put 15,673 suspects under criminal detention and handed out administrative penalties on 1,518 people.
Police have also been using DNA testing to return the children who have been trafficked to their biological parents. A database has been created using the DNA of missing children who who may have become victims to human trafficking and their parents.
So far the database has helped reunite 813 children with their biological parents through DNA matching.
MY TAKE ON THE STORY
Human trafficking is a serious issue throughout Asia, including China. Even now, China has a 2 Tier rating on the 2010 Trafficking in Person annual report from the US Department of Justice, which is not a good rating. But the news report above gives me hope that the tide is turning.
The main problem with combating traffickers in Asia is the lack of law enforcement. Simply reading some of the stories and research from the Somaly Mam Foundation, Free the Slaves and the International Justice Mission make this abundantly clear. There are anti-slavery and trafficking laws on the books in almost every country in the world, but it comes down to enforcing those laws and eliminating corruption.
Freeing 16,517 slaves is a BIG deal. Arresting nearly 16,000 suspects is huge in the fight against traffickers. What happens to these suspects and the number that that are prosecuted will determine the greater long-term effect these arrests will have against human trafficking. With a major bust like this in Beijing, maybe public opinion and policy are finally starting to overcome the corruption. At least that's what I hope and pray for.
Comments
Human trafficking a modern day slavery. These are the stories of the victims and the survivals of the hideous crime. These stories provides us a compelling look into this dark, inhuman, and exploitative world and shows how each one of us can help to prevent modern-day slavery.
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/479
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