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Monday, October 06, 2008
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News Asia-Pacific
Child abductions plague China

The abduction of three-year-old Zhou was captured on surveillance camera 

China is struggling to cope with a wave of child abductions which sees more than 200 babies and toddlers being stolen every day, according to some estimates.

It is a lucrative business in which an abducted girl child can fetch $1,200 and a boy anything up to $5,000, more than the average annual salary in urban China. 

"Before I only knew people stole mobile phones and wallets. Later I knew that more than 1,000 kids have been stolen in this province, more than 20 kids living near me. It is astonishing," Sun Haiyang told Al Jazeera.

The 35-year-old father knows the painful reality of the sordid business that preys on the angst of couples desperate for a child. His three-year-old boy Zhuo was last year taken from the street just 30 metres from his home in Shenzhen, southern China.

The kidnapper was caught on a surveillance video. First he handed Zhuo a snack, then a toy, before walking away with the boy.

The boy has never been found and the kidnapper has never been arrested.

"It's too easy for the gangs. For a little money they can buy a birth certificate and then permanent residency for a child thousands of kilometres away," Sun said.

"The government has created this environment."

One-child policy

Under China's one-child policy, rural families are allowed to try for a second child if their first is a girl, while urban parents are fined for breaking the rule. In either case having a boy is not guaranteed, leading some to desperate measures. 

"The one-child policy has skewed preference for boys and this is pretty much an undercurrent of this current problem, this current tragedy," Amalee McCoy, a child protection consultant with the UN's chidren's fund Unicef, said.

"Where they end up, it is purely speculation a lot of the times, but a lot the anecdotal evidence seems to show that they go to families who are really wanting to have a boy child.

"Girls who are trafficked for illegal adoption are generally because families are looking for future wives, they want to raise girl children as future wives for their boys, and also to look after the families."

Other children end up abroad after being sold for foreign adoptions or into slavery.

Mo Shanmin was one of the few lucky parents who have seen their children returned after the ordeal.

His son, Jincang, was found 1,000km away from his home six months after he had been taken. Bystanders had watched while the trafficker tried to sell the boy and alerted the police.

"He didn't recognise me at first and sat in a line of kids with his head bowed. He was really scared of strangers but now he is better. I am so lucky," he said.

Tackling trafficking

Police have had some successes in tackling the traffickers, but there is no centralised system for collating information on missing children and many parents have accused the police of not doing enough to combat the growing problem.

Desperate parents put up posters of their missing children
"The police haven't done enough to prevent child abduction, they don't do anything after parents make a report. If they act straight away then they could rescue kids but they wait 24 hours and then it is too late," Peng Gaofeng said.

Peng lost his three-and-a-half-year old son Lele five months ago. He was also snatched a few metres from his home.

He is in contact with thousands of other parents like himself, putting pictures of their missing children on shops, trees and even pack of playing cards in a desperate attampt to track them down.

"Child abduction is a crime beyond murder. If my boy was to die in an earthquake it would be sad but I could move on. But not finding my son will mean my pain goes on. The traffickers ruin the lives of an entire family," Peng told Al Jazeera.

"The only thing that makes us survive is the belief that my son will come back. If he doesn't it will destroy me."
 Source: Al Jazeera
Feedback Number of comments : 24
 
Bigmel1981
Malaysia 		05/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
What is this world coming to. Now china has to clean up its act. Its been hitting the news for the wrong reasons as of late.

Hilary
United States 		05/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
This is truly a tragedy. It is common for police to be of little assistance for finding abducted children. Parents must supervise their children every second, rather than count on the police to rescue their child.

linlinchit
Malaysia 		05/10/2008
Chinas one-child policy
If countries which criticise China's one-child policy agree to take one million Chinese immigrants per year, I'm sure China will immediately abolish its one-child policy. Human rights groups vocal on this issue should take a lead on this proposal. Incidentally, how did they come up with the estimate of "more than 200" child abductions per day?

Rafiq
United States 		05/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
God has created this universe in a balance manner. Human being has very little knowledge about the complexity of natural system. What we consider right today that could be proven ridicule tomorrow. So we should not try to change course of nature. This story again proves of the excellence of nature i.e., creation of God. So come and read the God revelation- The Quran, try to understand it and follow it. Only this way we can avoid this short sighted perception.

Reg
Canada 		05/10/2008
Scanning shoulders works well
One person in 5 is Chinese (in the world). Most of our worst problems result from our exploding populations and the resource-crazy way we choose to live. The Chinese make an excellent attempt to hold back on their population growth by allowing tax incentives for only one child per family. Perhaps a microscopic computer chip in the shoulder will be the solution.

Claire Lawson
Australia 		06/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
Crimes against children are the greatest of crimes. Kidnapping, abuse, poor parenting, etc are the worst that anyone can do. We need to provide the best start for the young. Once they grow up they can decide for themselves. Until that time we (regardless of race, religion, socio-economic status, etc) need to do all we can to nuture and protect the every single child.

passerby
Afghanistan 		06/10/2008
Rafiq, you sounded as if it's perfectly alright that children get abducted and being sold off. So we human shouldn't have done anything to change anything since it's the course of nature then people do get abducted or kidnapped and being sold off to rich people? This is really ridiculous.

Ronn
United States 		06/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
passerby, I could be wrong, but I believe Rafiq was refering to China's one child policy. By missing with the natural order of things, we cause problems.

paul lee
China 		07/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
Generally speaking ,China now is a society with degraded moral standard. People in the mainstream have no any religious belief and no awe for the nature. The only motive propelling their action is getting more and more money by any available means. All this is certainly due to the result of 60 year's leadership of CCP.

JungleGeoff
Papua New Guinea		 08/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
In most cases the root cause seems to be a cultural/economic one. Male children are highly valued culturally but parents are restricted in how many children they can have (1 in cities, but more in rural areas). This creates a market that criminals are taking advantage of. If instead of a ban on a 2nd child there was a tax for each child past the first and if this tax was slightly less than the cost/trouble kidnappers go to to commit their crime it would reduce the child trade market.

HALBOOB ALMONTASER
Germany 		05/10/2008
It is so bad situation. it will be so hard for the parents and those who belong to hmanities. god will strongly punishe those lacking sence

Edem
Ghana 		05/10/2008
Child Abductions plague China
The only way to prevent a plant from growing is to remove its root system. Likewise, the only way to nip this problem of kidnapping in the bud is to solve the very problems that are causing people to do these things. Problems like unemployment and inflation. The government of china should also lift this one- child policy and rather educate the people on birth control methods. In this way.....we're all happy.

Zahir76
Bangladesh 		05/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
In my country, we educate family to keep the family small but don't force them by strict laws, it works as statistics says. Nature set by the Almighty has the nice balance in it, one just need to look deep into it- and humans are made to look into.

malach hamovess
United States 		05/10/2008
Child Abductions in China
There is a special place in hell for anyone who would kidnap a child to sell him for adoption.

Fabio
Brazil 		05/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
Dear Rafiq, I agree with you. I have believed that the men are loosing the control of all. Only with God, we can survive. Don't there be other alternative. Regards

Paul
Italy 		05/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
This situation is the exact opposite of a balanced world. Its a story of unbelievable greed and selfishness that reveals the short comings of the human race, not the excellance of nature. Instead of ignoring situations that do not affect us directly (which is indeed short sightedness) we should follow the example set by Jesus Christ. To love and serve all people according to God's law. To honour those around you, not stealing or coveting their possesions, to name a few relevant examples.

Victor
United States 		05/10/2008
Anybody wants to live in China?
The Red Chinese government is a fault by turning ablind eye to what is wrong with their society. They touted the progress made during the Beijing Olympics but hid the dirty laundry. Nothing is safe in china if it involves money. I am wondering when drug addiction in China will come out. Save the Tigers. You don't need it when Viagra is available.

susan
Afghanistan 		06/10/2008
Child abduction plague China
i am a Chinese mom. i feel very shocked when i catch the first sight of the news title as i have never known such serious situation in china before. What a crazy world! i feel painful for those desperate parents who have lost thier child.

Alexandre
Canada 		06/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
Rafic, you're wrong. Nature have nothing to do in here. It's not moral to steal and sell a child. That's it.

One-Timer
Afghanistan 		06/10/2008
Rafiq: That is the most ignorant way i have ever seen for someone to invite people to Islam. You shouldnt use Islam to make yourself look knowledgeable unless you are 100% sure you know EXACTLY what you are talking about. I agree that turning to Allah Almighty will help us with our global issues. This story is not a "course of nature". what is so natural about a child being kidnapped?? this issue can be solved by the authorities acting quickly. Nature has nothing to do with it.

Wani
Brunei Darussalam 		06/10/2008
Child abductions plague China
Rafiq, you'd probably think differently if such misfortune happened to someone close to you, God forbid. We're supposed to help ourselves instead of simply washing our hands off of the whole business. Abduction/human trafficking is not just a Chinese phenomenon, but a global one, and more should/could be done to address this issue in a proactive manner.

Barry
United States 		09/10/2008
Chinas one-child policy
We are reaping the results of turning to big government to solve(create) our problems. The mildest effort reveals luciferian secret societies at the helms of all our governments. Their goal is to degrade us all. Until we all gain the courage to face the facts the suffering will only grow. The lines have been drawn, you serve God or lucifer.

Donny
United States 		09/10/2008
Population Control and the Course of Nature
I think Rafiq was trying to say that population control (the 1 Child law) is against the course of nature. In a sense, that is true. Humans, like everything else in nature, are driven to reproduce. However, don't confuse what is "natural" with what is "healthy." when the Quran was written there were only 300 million people. Now there are 6 billion. In another 50 years, that number WILL DOUBLE unless we change something. What is so "natural" about the planet being as overpulated as China?

Richard Randolph
Afghanistan 		09/10/2008
Can Science Help?
Kidnapping of children is unacceptable in any culture. I wonder if the Chinese could take fingerprints and a blood sample (for later DNA identification) of newborns. Entry into school, clinics, etc. could then require that the child submit to DNA and/or fingerprint identification to assure identity. Granted, this does not solve the time zero problem of the lost child but may help to provide a deterrent to those who understand that a falsified birth certificate would be useless against DNA ID.

 
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