Chinese authorities on Thursday
released an anti-trafficking plan for curbing human trade
in women and children for the next five years.
The plan, to be implemented from 2008 to 2012, set a general
objective to minimize crimes of trading in women and children and
to minimize the physical and psychological pain they suffered.
According to the plan, a ministerial-level joint meeting headed
by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) would be established and
local regions, especially where trafficking cases frequently occur,
should set up relevant organs.
The meeting would involve 28 government ministries, including
the ministries for Foreign Affairs, Education, Finance, Health and
State Industry and Commerce Administration, which would make a
concerted effort to halt trafficking crimes, the plan said.
The full text was posted on the central governmental website
www.gov.cn. It elaborated on the main measures and organizational
arrangements of the meeting.
The fund supporting the joint meeting and local anti-trafficking
activities would mainly come from central and local governments and
individual contributions. In addition, international aid would be
actively pursued, the plan said.
At bus and train stations, airports, ferry docks and other
locations where trafficking of women and children mostly occurred,
the National Civil Aviation Administration, Railway and
Transportation ministries would pay more intensified attention, it
said.
To curb trade in women and children, the Public Security
Ministry, Labor Ministry and State Industry and Commerce
Administration would more severely crack down on illegal trading in
the labor market and punish or clamp down on illegal labor
agents.
The plan also promised that governments at all levels would
improve salvation measures to women and children who suffered from
kidnapping and trafficking by providing more training, physical and
mental therapy and rehabilitation.
The Health Ministry and its affiliated organs are responsible
for organizing certain medical institutions to provide medical care
for suffering women and children, it said.
Du Hangwei, director of the investigation bureau with the MPS,
said that as the first national anti-trafficking plan, it would
cover all aspects of the task at hand. This included preventive
education, crackdown policies, aid for victims, repatriation and
rehabilitation and international and regional cooperation.
The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
estimated that roughly 1 million children were bought and sold
every year, mostly for sexual exploitation and forced labor.
The MPS said that it had uncovered 2,500 human
trafficking-related criminal cases in 2006, saving these victims
from suffering.
As part of its anti-trafficking effort, the ministry hosted a
vice ministerial-level Mekong regional meeting. The meeting
included representatives from Cambodia, Myanmar, China,
Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, countries where human trafficking has
become more commonplace in recent years.
(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2007)