New weapons in battle against child stealers

• Source: Global Times
• [21:02 November 25 2009]
• Comments

Yang Dong

Editor's Note:

Child abduction has become a serious problem in China over the last two decades. Early this year, the public security authorities began implementing a new plan to combat it. Since then 2,133 cases of child abduction or trafficking have been exposed. This had attracted great public attention. Yang Dong (Yang), deputy director general of the Criminal Investigation Department at China's Ministry of Public Security, talked with Global Times (GT) reporter Li Yanjie on the severeness of China's current child kidnapping problem and the efforts authority spent to combat it.

GT: What has the program achieved so far? What are the main difficulties you face?

Yang: Up to November 16, public security bureaus nationwide have cracked 2,133 such cases and 1,159 criminal gangs involved in trafficking children and saved 2,471 children.

Traditional Chinese culture advocates "more children, more happiness" and "raising a child for old age." With these values, it's not surprising that if people can't bear more children themselves, they will try to get them by other ways.

China's economy is developing rapidly, but many social management systems fall behind the economic development, and thus various social problems appear.

The abduction and trafficking of children is one of these social problems. To solve it, not only the public security department but also other departments are needed.

An inter-ministerial joint meeting system of action for combating the abduction and trafficking of women and children has been established.

The joint meeting is comprised of the Ministry of Public Security, the Publicity Department of CCCPC, the Central Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security, the Commission of Legislative Affairs of NPC, ministries of civil affairs, education, justice, and so on.

The major difficulty is that right now the joint meeting hasn't been established perfectly and it will still take some time for it to work as a whole and efficiently.

GT: What areas are most vulnerable to this kind of crime? What kind of children are most easily abducted?

Yang: Generally speaking, such crimes take place in the whole of China.

Rural areas, the rural-urban fringes and urban villages are where such cases most easily and frequently take place, as residents in these places are usually busy with their work and can't spare time to take care of their children.

They are also not so wary about such crimes. However, abduction of children seldom takes place in public places and central areas of cities.

Up to now, the children saved are mostly between two to eight years old. Criminals often lure children with candies or toys and then take them away.

Only a small amount of children were stolen from their parents or relatives.

GT: What should city managers do in such areas to prevent such crimes?

Yang: Two aspects should be improved.

First, public security offices should promote and strengthen education on preventing children abduction and trafficking in these areas.

Second, local governments should set up kindergartens and temporary nursing centres in these areas for those not being able to look after their children, such as migrant workers.

The city of Dongguan in Guangdong Province has tried this, and it worked well there.