Chinese baby girls trafficked overseas

The BBC reports that infants in southern China have been taken from parents who exceeded the two-child policy for rural families. Officials exact a fine of $3,000 from parents that breach family-planning laws, an amount that is several times a local farmer’s annual income. According to an investigation by the Chinese Southern Metropolis Daily, over ...

The BBC reports that infants in southern China have been taken from parents who exceeded the two-child policy for rural families. Officials exact a fine of $3,000 from parents that breach family-planning laws, an amount that is several times a local farmer's annual income. According to an investigation by the Chinese Southern Metropolis Daily, over 80 baby girls were "confiscated" from families in Guizhou province that could or would not pay the fine, taken into orphanages and later adopted by couples from across Europe and the United States. The fees extorted for adoption totalled $3,000 and were reportedly split between the orphanages and local officials.

The BBC reports that infants in southern China have been taken from parents who exceeded the two-child policy for rural families. Officials exact a fine of $3,000 from parents that breach family-planning laws, an amount that is several times a local farmer’s annual income. According to an investigation by the Chinese Southern Metropolis Daily, over 80 baby girls were "confiscated" from families in Guizhou province that could or would not pay the fine, taken into orphanages and later adopted by couples from across Europe and the United States. The fees extorted for adoption totalled $3,000 and were reportedly split between the orphanages and local officials.

Ryan McVay/Getty images

Aditi Nangia is an editorial researcher at Foreign Policy.

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