China arrests 802 for alleged child trafficking

The recent operation broke up two trafficking rings and led to the arrests of the ring leaders, the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

Trafficking in children is a big problem in China. Its strict one-child policy — which limits most urban couples to one child and rural couples to two if their first-born is a girl — has driven a thriving market in babies, especially boys because of a traditional preference for male heirs.

Many trafficked babies are abducted, but some are sold by families who are too poor to care for a baby or do not want a baby girl.

The national operation was set up earlier this year after local police spotted trafficking signs, including frequent appearances of out-of-town pregnant women in a clinic in north China's Hebei province, the ministry said. State media reported that parents wishing to sell their babies could find potential buyers through the clinic.

A doctor at the clinic was arrested, state media said. It was unclear whether the pregnant women were among those arrested.

In central China's Henan province, an inspection of a long-distance bus turned up four suspects who tried to sell four infants, the ministry said.

State media report that a baby girl can fetch 30,000 to 50,000 yuan ($4,800 to $8,000; Dh17,62 to Dh29,376) and that a baby boy sells for 70,000 to 80,000 yuan ($11,200 to $12,800). Last year, China rescued more than 8,000 children who were abducted or willingly sold by parents.

Chinese courts often hand down harsh punishments, including death sentences, to child traffickers.

– AP