AGA Volunteers Participate in Large Scale Child Bride Return Home Meeting At 9:00 on January 16th, 2012, Xihu Cinema in Putian City, Fujian Province was bustling with activity. More than 300 women who were trafficked to the city met with parents from oth

In October 2009 and March 2011, volunteers organized two anti-trafficking
campaigns in Putian. Three former child brides were reunited with their birth families
in Guizhou province as a result. During these campaigns, we found many child brides
in this region. They were usually sold at very young ages, with little or no memory of
their birthplaces or family. Traffickers and “adoptive” parents in Putian typically told
them that they were originally from Changle, a neighboring city in the province.

Since the 1970’s, more than 30,000 girls had been sold to Putian families from
Changle. Starting in 2006, former child brides in Putian and parents from Changle
had organized various campaigns aimed at reuniting families. So far however, only 12
families had succeeded.

Starting on January 13, AGA volunteers along with the local organizers of the
meeting canvassed fishing villages in Putian, where buying child brides had been
particularly prevalent. In addition to the 600 child brides we found previously, 40 new
ones had been registered, in time to bring their information and photographs to the
meeting.

The conference on the 16th lasted from 9am to 4pm. Hundreds of child brides and
parents of missing children told their stories. Zhengde Forensics Agency in Fujian
took over 40 blood samples for DNA testing.

After the conference, our volunteers held roundtable discussion with about twenty
child brides. We learned that the desire for many child brides looking for their
birth families exceeded that of the birth families looking for them. Only 14 parents
participated in the conference. Several child brides had found their families in the
past. But their real parents refused to acknowledge them. Secondly, after two to three
decades, the appearances of the trafficked children had changed too much from their
infancy to be recognized. DNA testing is the only reliable method. However, the cost
was extraordinarily high.

Many child brides also expressed the misfortunes of their family life. Many who
married their “adoptive brothers” had later divorced. These women, without a family
to rely upon, could not afford to continue participating in reunion conferences or
DNA tests.