Micro-blog rescues children

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.