Al Jazeera looks into the the reasons behind China’s child trafficking:
Child trafficking is widespread in China, many say, because of the country’s one-child policy and the demand it creates for sons.
[…] The Chinese preference for a son and a male heir is another factor. Meanwhile, some children are abducted and then sold as slaves or forced into working in sweatshops.
And though boys are the main victims of child abduction, girls can sometimes be sold as wives. In some parts of rural China, buying a wife is not seen as a crime but as a part of Chinese tradition.
The article cites Dale Rutstein, the China spokesperson for UNICEF, suggesting that the regional wealth gap also plays a crucial role in child abduction:
“The real issue for China is [how to deal with] the difficulties of the extremes of poverty and wealth. Trafficking of children is very much associated with poverty and, because of the migrant population, [a] very large number of people who are leaving rural areas and looking for opportunities in urban areas, this affects both adults, young people and at times children.
A previous Al Jazeera report looked at the crackdown on child traffickers:
See more on child trafficking in China via CDT.
