Every year, at least thousands of children in China go missing. Many of them are abducted by human traffickers. Last week, a group of parents from around the country gathered in Beijing to raise awareness about the issue in an effort to find their children—some of whom have been missing for several years.
Zhao Weichao, a boy from Inner Mongolia, went missing in 2007. Wang Ming, a girl from Shanxi Province, went missing in 1997. The faces of these children, along with dozens of others, are displayed along this 300-foot long "Missing Children Wall."
About 30 parents from around China gathered in Beijing last week. They unfurled this massive banner with pictures and details of their missing children.
The Father of Lin Chengmian, an 8-year old child who was kidnapped in 2008 in Fujian Province, explains the parents' wishes.
[Mr. Lin, Father of Missing Child]:
"We want to see whether we can strike harder at these kidnappers, and help find our children. This is my biggest wish, finding our children is our biggest wish."
Many of the children have been missing for several years. Desperate parents have been travelling around the country, trying to find them. But according to one parent, police in Beijing are disrupting their efforts.
[Mr. Xiao, Father of Missing Child]:
"Our plans are not certain. If we stay in one place, the police would come and take us away, and the local government doesn't allow us to do any activities here."
The Chinese regime's one-child policy and the lucrative overseas adoption market have created a demand for children. While there are no official statistics, between thousands to tens of thousands of kidnaps are estimated every year.
Last month, two people received the death sentence in Fujian Province for their involvement in abducting and trafficking infants.