The discovery of hundreds of slaves in China has forced the Chinese Government to issue a crackdown on slavery and child labor Wednesday. Stories of poor farmers and children being forced to work in mines and kilns have outraged the local communities of Shanxi and Henan province. Until now the government has maintained that these are isolated incidents but the outcry of the local media has been too much.
Premier Wen Jiabao chaired a meeting of the State Council Standing Committee, or cabinet, which heard of a gruesome chain of abuses, state television news reported.
"In the Shanxi black kilns there were not only grave illegal employment problems, but also criminal forces abducting, restricting personal freedom, using coerced labor, employing children and maliciously wounding to the point of death," said a summary of the meeting read out on television news.
The news has been an embarrassment for President Hu Jingtao, who claimed to be creating a “harmonious society” that values poor farmers.
The governor of Shanxi, Yu Youjun, announced on Tuesday that police there and in Henan had detained over 130 people suspected of involvement in the hidden human trade and freed over 500 workers.
Premier Wen Jiabao chaired a meeting of the State Council Standing Committee, or cabinet, which heard of a gruesome chain of abuses, state television news reported.
"In the Shanxi black kilns there were not only grave illegal employment problems, but also criminal forces abducting, restricting personal freedom, using coerced labor, employing children and maliciously wounding to the point of death," said a summary of the meeting read out on television news.
The news has been an embarrassment for President Hu Jingtao, who claimed to be creating a “harmonious society” that values poor farmers.
The governor of Shanxi, Yu Youjun, announced on Tuesday that police there and in Henan had detained over 130 people suspected of involvement in the hidden human trade and freed over 500 workers.
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