China has taken strict measures to prevent orphanages becoming involved in child trafficking, a senior official said yesterday.

Dou Yupei, vice-minister of civil affairs, also reminded staff at children's homes to be "self-disciplined" and warned they would face tough penalties if they were found to be involved in the illegal activity.

Children's homes were placed under the spotlight after a child trafficking case involving orphanage workers was revealed last year.

Staff at orphanages in Hengyang, central China's Hunan Province, were caught buying and selling infants, and illegally providing children for adoptive families overseas.

A Chinese orphanage director and nine other people were given prison sentences of up to 15 years, and another 22 officials were fired in the case.

Most children in China's foreign adoption programme go to parents in the United States.

The government later said that an investigation found no children involved in the child trafficking case were adopted by American families.

"The government has taken severe measures (to curb child trafficking)," Dou told China Daily.

(China Daily May 18, 2006)