DAR AL HARB - CHINA: THE COST OF AN ADULT OR CHILD SLAVE IN CHINA?!? 17 EUROS - - - CHINESE AUTHORITIES WELL AWARE OF THE SLAVE TRADE

The cost of “child slaves”: 17 euros each, better again if mentally retarded

For years there have been groups dedicated to trafficking human beings. The police admits that it knew of factories using child labour, but fails to explain why it did not intervene. Children may have been stolen from other provinces.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Following the liberation of hundreds of slaves in Shanxi and Henan, a humiliating reality is emerging: in the China of the economic boom, there are groups who have been abducting and selling human beings into forced labour for years. Investigations reveal that the child and adult “slaves” were kidnapped from many provinces. The police has admitted that it has been aware of the problem for years, but failed to intervene.

Zhou Jinghuan in under three years circulated 3 thousand workers, selling them for a mere 170 Yuan (17 Euro each) to brick factories or mines in Henan. In 2006, a report carried by state TV spoke of how human trafficking was widespread in Henan, but this coverage did not result in police intervention.

The television report spoke of Zhou, who “worked” in Zhengzhou and preferred the mentally retarded, easier to circulate and control, “obedient and happy if you give them some wine”: 30% of her merchandise. Those who refuse to be sold are beaten; those who try to escape are forced to knell on broken glass. Those who flee are often found near railway stations, given that they have no money or documents. The report says that the slave trader has been arrested, but fails to speak about the aftermath.

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Pertinent Links:

1) The cost of “child slaves”: 17 euros each, better again if mentally retarded