China claims success in controlling child and women trafficking

Beijing (ANTARA) - The number of kidnapping and human trafficking crimes against children and women in China has shown a significant decline, dropping by 77.95 per cent in 2025 compared to its peak in 2012, according to China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) on Thursday (2/4).

This indicates that such crimes have been effectively suppressed, according to the SPC.

Over the years, courts in China have implemented strict measures against human trafficking, the SPC stated.

In addition to cracking down on those directly involved in human trafficking, courts have also punished parties who “buy” women and children who become victims, with the aim of suppressing the demand that drives these crimes.

Those who, after “buying” victims, then commit other crimes such as rape, intentional abuse, illegal detention, or violence will also face relevant penalties under the law.

Authorities have also focused on handling illegal activities related to the forgery or unauthorised issuance of birth certificates, marriage certificates, household registration documents, and other documents connected to human trafficking or “transactions,” the SPC added.

Kidnapping and human trafficking have long been among the most hated crimes in Chinese society.

In one case that captured public attention, Yu Huaying, a woman convicted of kidnapping and trafficking 17 children over two decades, was sentenced to death in 2024 and executed in 2025.

One of her victims, Yang Niuhua, who was kidnapped by Yu at the age of five, found her biological family through a DNA test at the age of 31, more than 20 years after being abducted.

However, by then both her parents had passed away, so she could not reunite with her family after such a long separation.