More than 1,000 women and children have been rescued from human traffickers following a national crackdown that kicked off on April 9, the Public Security Ministry revealed yesterday.

Between April 9 and May 25, the country's police cracked about "700 cases", a quarter of the total number of cases solved last year, Du Hangwei, director of the criminal investigation bureau of the Public Security Ministry, said at an event to mark Children's Day at the Beijing Amusement Park.

"The crackdown is aimed at curbing the rising number of human trafficking cases in the country," he said, promising to establish a long-term mechanism to reduce the crime once the campaign comes to an end on Dec 9.

Du said four of the 10 most wanted suspects were already in police custody, and eight children were rescued from their clutches.

One of the suspects was arrested in Zhuhai, Guangdong on May 20, the ministry said on its website on May 22. Zhang Weizhu, 35, was allegedly involved in 10 cases of child trafficking in Guangdong province.

Ministry figures showed about 2,500 to 3,000 human trafficking cases are reported and investigated annually.

The ministry has launched five campaigns against human trafficking since 1991.

Zhang Ruilin, a science teacher in Zhangwancun primary school in Tongzhou district, said all students are taught how to protect themselves from suspicious strangers.

"We have been told not to talk to strangers and never to accept any eatables or candies from them," Liu Xiaotong, a nine-year-old Grade 3 student of the school said.

Zhang said: "Besides telling the kids to avoid interaction with strangers, we also tell them to remain calm in the face of a dangerous situation."

Yan Zhuhua, a mother in Beijing, said she takes her daughter to school and picks her up every day to be safe.

"If anything were to happen to my little girl I would never be able to forgive myself. It's better to be safe than sorry," she said.

(China Daily June 2, 2009)