Authorities show little concern

Sound of Hope Radio Network
By Zhang Anli & Yu Liang

The trafficking of children has been escalating sharply in recent years, arousing widespread public anger and frustration throughout China, according to a Sound of Hope radio report. Every year thousands of children—primarily those of poor farmers and migrant workers—are abducted and sold.

Concerned parents of kidnapped children argue that punishing traffickers alone will not benefit the abducted children: The regime must take effective steps to stem the tide of the booming black market, and punish not only the traffickers, but the buyers as well.
Police indifference

Mr. Chen, the father of a missing child from Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, said that the local police are often indifferent and callous when confronted with a missing-child case.

“The government has not done enough to combat kidnapping,” Chen said. “I do not think punishing a few traffickers is going to work. The relative of a missing child told me that he found a trafficker living in his neighborhood. He submitted a claim, but the police did nothing.

“Do you know that it was only for the sake of appearances that those two traffickers were sentenced to death?” Chen asked. “In order to appease public sentiment, the government decided to kill two traffickers this time. I know that’s why they did it.”    more …