Hunan orphanages sells babies, says report

BEIJING, Nov. 24 -- Some orphanages in central China's Hunan Province had been selling babies to make money for many years, a Hunan based newspaper reported today. Police in Qidong County have caught more than 20 people this week, including the heads of some of the orphanages

The newspaper said a trader caught on Sunday told police orphanages bought babies from baby traders for about 800 yuan (US$98.89) to 1,200 yuan and resold them to other orphanages or families at a much higher price.

A social welfare institution in Hunan's provincial capital, Changsha, bought five babies for 60,000 yuan from an orphanage in Hengyang County on November 19, a man on the orphanage staff said. The two organizations have traded babies very frequently, the newspaper said.

It said the orphanage in Hengyang had sold babies to Changsha, Binzhou, Zhuzhou or Guangzhou for several years.

Because the national civil administration allocates funds to each orphanage based on how many babies it has, some orphanages bought babies to enlarge their numbers. After they got the public funds, they then sold the babies to earn more profits.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)