Girl, five, rescued from suspected child traffickers in China

[AroundTheWorld]

Girl, five, rescued from suspected child traffickers in China

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 06 January, 2016, 11:26am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 06 January, 2016, 11:26am

Mimi Lau
[email protected]

A file picture of volunteers taking part in an anti-child trafficking campaign in China. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A five-year-old girl has been rescued from suspected child traffickers in China, a newspaper reported.

The girl was snatched near her home in Taihe county in Anhui province by two men on a motorcycle on Sunday, the People’s Daily said.

She was rescued by the police two days later in Handan county in Hebei province, about 600km from her home, according to the report.

The girl was last seen playing with her brother in her village before she was taken.

Surveillance footage showed her being ridden away by the men.

A reward of 100,000 yuan (HK$120,000) was offered for information leading to her return.

Child trafficking is a serious problem in China, with boys in particular sold to families with no children or a daughter. Only a tiny fraction of missing children are eventually found.

READ MORE: China among world’s worst in human trafficking, may lead to US sanctions

China does not publish child trafficking figures, but estimates suggest as many as 70,000 are taken each year.

People convicted of the child trafficking can be jailed for at least five years.