Abducted children rescued in Guanxi

By Wang Xiang

January 13, 2010 / shanghaidaily.com

TWELVE more abducted children were rescued by police in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the nationwide crackdown on human trafficking that started in April.

That brings the number of rescued children in Guangxi to 31, of whom 20 have been reunited with their families.

Nineteen of the reunited children were from Guangxi and one is from Yunnan Province, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

The reunited kids were linked to their parents through DNA tests and a DNA database set up by the Ministry of Public Security.

The police have taken into custody five people suspected of running a multi-provincial human trafficking ring. The chief suspect surnamed Lan confessed to police that his ring has sold more than 30 kids in rich southern Chinese provinces, according to a former report.

Lan said he used little pets and balloons to lure little boys from migrant worker families in Guangxi. He said he almost succeeded every time when he tried to abduct a child.

He said he earned between 20,000 and 40,000 yuan for each boy he sold in Fujian, according to the report.

Some children are sold for adoption to childless couples, and others are trained as beggars or prostitutes.

Guangxi police have publicized information on the freed children through local media to help them be reunited with their families.

The Ministry of Public Security said the crackdown on human trafficking had rescued 3,455 children and 7,365 women by last Friday.