Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Since the 1980s, the child trafficking industry in China has skyrocketed. Although official statistics are hard to pin down, it is estimated that up to 200, 000 kids are abducted per year. And the ones who are most likely to be targeted are the children of migrant workers. When rural dwellers move to the cities, the high cost of living and limitations imposed by the hukou policy — a housing registration system that dictates social benefits — often forces them to leave their children behind with their grandparents. This story looks at how China’s pervasive housing registration system contributes to the trafficking industry by leaving children unprotected.