A micro-blog dedicated to information about children forced into begging by people traffickers is getting nationwide attention these days, and is yielding practical benefits.

Started by a scholar with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), who had been asked by a desperate mother to help find her lost son, who she believed was abducted and forced into begging, the micro-blogging campaign calls on concerned citizens to post snapshots of underage beggars to facilitate their rescue and reunion with their families.

Within days, numerous photos, taken mostly with cell phones, were posted from across the country. And the good news is some parents have already identified their lost children from such photos, and, as of Wednesday reports, six children have been reunited with their parents.

Besides concerned citizens, the initiative has also attracted the attention of public security authorities, which are reportedly closely following the clues provided by ordinary netizens. The latter's participation will no doubt be an invaluable supplement to the police authorities' nationwide campaign to crack down on trafficking in children. And the Web makes public participation easier and more efficient.

There have been concerns about victim privacy. Yet given the fact that many underage beggars are victims of human trafficking and have been coerced into begging, the urgency of their rescue and reunion with their loved ones outweighs privacy concerns. For parents whose children remain missing, knowing the whereabouts of the lost kids is more important than anything else.

That the micro-blog has had such a broad resonance testifies to the practicality of personal computers and smart phones in such endeavors.

However, as the CASS scholar has observed, the visibility of the all-important information platform remains limited. After all, not all households have computers or access to micro-blogs. This is particularly true in rural areas.

In spite of the public's high expectations for the micro-blog, we would instead place more weight on the shoulders of our police officers. After all, they are the ones in the position to enforce the law. And no matter how anxious they are, common citizens can do little beyond contributing information.

The police departments boast all the resources needed to do the job.

It is inspiring to learn that public security departments have taken note of the micro-blog. But public security authorities should be more actively involved in collecting information through direct interaction with civilian photographers. Since many underage beggars are constantly on the move, timely intervention is crucial for their rescue.

More importantly, with their resources, the clues provided should be made more broadly available to society, so that all parents with missing children can take advantage of the service. This is beyond the reach of civilian bloggers.

China Daily

(China Daily 02/10/2011 page8)