Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / ASIA-PACIFIC
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Tuesday, 13 July, 2004, 13:47 GMT 14:47 UK

China halts baby trafficking ring

By Francis Markus
BBC correspondent in Shanghai

Chinese police say they have broken up a criminal ring which was trafficking dozens of babies.

They said they were investigating 95 people in the city of Hohhot, in China's inner Mongolian region. Eight people have been formally arrested.

The case is the latest in a series of high-profile police operations against child traffickers.

But many critics suspect that such catches are only the tip of an untackled iceberg.

According to police, the latest case involves the trafficking of 76 babies.

'Two hours old'

The oldest was five days old, while the youngest was a mere two hours old when they were allegedly bought by a trafficking ring from dozens of privately-run hospitals and clinics.

Many of the mothers were unmarried women, including students, or were unemployed.

A police source told the BBC that most of the babies were girls, but did not give details of the final buyers.

Baby girls are traditionally less highly regarded by rural Chinese families than baby boys.

But ironically this bias is fuelling a massive gender imbalance in favour of males, thanks to the illegal use of ultrasound scans. The technology is helping to drive up the commercial value of girls, at least in the eyes of the traffickers, as they become an increasingly scarce commodity.




E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Chinese babies found in luggage (22 Mar 03  |  Asia-Pacific )
China nabs baby traffickers (07 Jun 02  |  Asia-Pacific )
China fears bachelor future (05 Apr 04  |  Asia-Pacific )
Concern at Chinese family planning law (09 Jan 02  |  Media reports )
China's unwanted girls (23 Aug 01  |  Asia-Pacific )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Chinese Government
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©