Trafficking of women has been an issue in China for many centuries, thanks to a long history of gender ratio imbalance and male preference. Traditional patriarchal structures reinforce gender inequality, especially in rural areas where women are often times not afforded the same opportunities as men and are forced to submit to male authority. This inequality leaves women increasingly marginalized and vulnerable to trafficking. In the last several decades, sex trafficking has been exacerbated even further by the one child policy.
The Chinese Criminal Law defines trafficking as “the abduction, kidnapping, trading, and transporting of women and children for the purpose of selling.” Forced labor and other trafficking-related crimes are punished as other crimes and not as trafficking offenses.
Despite the ambiguity of its laws, China is not blind to the horrific violation of human dignity and rights that befalls victims of sex trafficking. It has recognized that crimes of trafficking in women and children seriously violate the individual rights of women and children and greatly harm the physical and psychological health of trafficking victims.
Read Full Article HERE