A two-year-old toddler was successfully rescued from a suspected trafficker after the platform reported her missing and received a witness's report. (Photo from Sina Weibo)
A toddler was successfully rescued from a suspected trafficker after the news of her disappearance was released by a missing child broadcasting platform three days after its launch online.
The Emergency Response System, launched by the Ministry of Public Security on May 11, is similar to Amber Alert, a system for emergency information broadcasts about missing children in the United States. It also is the way that authorized government information is released on missing children.
At 2 pm on May 13, a two-year-old girl went missing near Hengshui railway station in North China's Hebei province. A surveillance video shows that she was brought away by a strange man with a square face and closely cropped hair.
The photo of the girl, the still image of the video showing the suspect and the police's contact number among other information were published on the platform.
"A witness called the police when he saw the information on the platform", said Chen Shiqu, deputy inspector with the MPS's criminal investigation bureau.
Based on the report and other clues, the police caught the suspect, surnamed Ma, and rescued the child in Longhu township, Zhengzhou of Central China's Henan province 32 hours after she went missing.
The platform has attracted more than 170,000 followers on its official account of Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.
The information about missing children comes from more than 5,000 anti-trafficking police officers across the country.
It also sends messages to people within close range of the missing children on their phones.
"Previously, the police would hand out thousands of printed wanted leaflets if they failed to find any valuable clues when a child goes missing", he said, "but it is not efficient."
The platform solves this problem. Taking the location the child went missing from as the center, the push messages will be sent to people within a 100-kilometer radius within an hour of the missing report, 200 kilometers within two hours, 300 kilometers within three hours and 500 kilometers beyond three hours.
"The platform uses the internet to motivate people to collect and report clues and help combat child-trafficking," said Chen.
How do other countries fight against child abduction?
The U.S.
In the U.S., an 'Amber Alert' rapid response system has been established to tackle such crimes with profiles of a missing child publicized through various channels: TV, radio, text messages, Facebook, Twitter, website pop ups and banners and large screens in public places. Besides, America has established a National Center of Missing and Exploited Children, for parents of those children to report their missing children and issue a standard notice. Parents can also request the center to send a specialized search party to look for the child.
Japan
Japan has less than 100 cases of child kidnapping each year. This can be attributed to the equivalent punishment between kidnapping and illegal adoption. Under Japan's criminal law, both of them would receive similar terms of imprisonment- less than ten years for kidnapping and seven years for illegal adoption.
EU
On Dec 29, 2010, the European Council and European Parliament agreed to make a new law on combating kidnapping to fight against such behavior more strictly. The new law gives a broader definition to kidnapping, including forced begging and kidnapping with the aim of illegal adoption. The new law imposes imprisonment from five years to ten years on criminals in kidnap cases, focusing on enslaving children, organized crime, threatening victims' lives and severe violence. Suspected individuals and corporations may face criminal punishment and temporary or permanent closure.
Thailand
Kidnapping is prevalent in Thailand. Most of the children kidnapped are forced to beg or sold to factories as cheap labor. To fight against it, the Thai government combines legislation and prevention. It established a strict labor policy, stating that foreigners need work permits in order to work in Thailand, or both the employer and employee will receive criminal punishment. Besides, numerous civil organizations participate in the cause, promoting education for women and children and protecting their rights.
