Blog campaign to find missing children gains momentum, govt approval

Prominent blogger and government critic Yu Jianrong’s microblog campaign to resuce abducted children seems to have gained the approval of Beijing, the Financial Times reported. The campaign, which works by posting photographs of child beggars for identification by their parents, began two weeks ago. At the time many were concerned that Beijing might quickly block the blog, as it has done with many other microblog initiatives that tend to focus on abuses by local officials. However, state media began reporting positively on the results of the campaign on Wednesday, publishing reports about the reunification of a migrant worker with his kidnapped son and noting other reunifications. However, the reports do not credit Yu directly, and the blog is presented as part of a wider police crackdown on child begging. The central government estimates some 20,000 children are abducted every year. Most are forced to beg for crime syndicates, sold to childless couples or forced to work in factories.