Spotlight focuses on scourge of human trafficking

Several social organizations and individuals have also offered assistance to people with missing family members.

They include Zhang Baoyan, who in April 2007 launched Baby Back Home, a website aimed at helping families find lost relatives.

As a deputy to the National People's Congress, the country's top legislative body, she has put forward several proposals to fight human trafficking.

"I've always paid attention to improving laws on protecting the rights of women and children. This year is no exception," Zhang said ahead of the NPC's annual session, which is scheduled to start on March 5 in Beijing.

To date, with help from the website, 8,567 missing people have been found and reunited with their families－4,312 of them children, Zhang said.

Furthermore, such crimes have declined in China in the past 10 years. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of criminal cases involving the abduction and trafficking of women and children filed for investigation by police fell to 3,305 in 2020 from 20,735 in 2013.

Xiaohuamei and her story have again highlighted the significance of nationwide efforts to combat such offenses, with academics calling for the full use of big data and for joint efforts to further safeguard people's rights and promote the rule of law.

Zhao Hong, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, told China News Weekly: "Everyone and every department should shoulder responsibilities in the fight. If they do, similar cases will be solved and won't be repeated."