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Xin Y and Cai T.

that the tradition is diminishing. In line with the previous findings (Shen, 2016), child trafficking often involved multiple
offenders (4.93 on average) whom were loosely organized as a group in which nearly half (44%) of them were female.
Our analysis has identified geographic patterns of trafficking that related to the gender of victims. The Southwest region
(Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan Provinces) served as a supplier to the rest of the hotspots for both male and female victims,
while the East region (Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces) showed a high frequency of child purchases. The Southeast region
(Guangdong and Fujian Provinces) has high levels of buying both male and female victims and selling boys; and the
Central East region (Shandong, Henan, and Hebei Provinces) tended to be less gender selective for both selling and buying.
Our research also found that the frequency of trafficking was related to the provincial socioeconomic characteristics,
such as the SRB, and the number of adoptions per thousand. Although the previous studies have called attention to
the link between high SRB and the trafficking of women (Wu, 2017), the current understanding of the role of SRB on
child trafficking is still very limited. Our results indicated that a high SRB might also be a contributing factor of child
trafficking. Furthermore, the strong link between the number of adoptions per thousand, the frequency of child trafficking,
and the high proportion of victims sold by their guardians should bring much-needed attention to the problem of child
trafficking from a different angle. As noticed by others (Chen, Ebenstein, Edlund et al., 2015; Johnson, 2002; Johnson,
Banghan, and Liyao, 1998; Lid, Larsen, and Wyshak, 2004), the current market of child trafficking is built on the current
legal regulations and practices of adoption. When the demand of adoption cannot be satisfied or is encumbered by the
lengthy adoption process, prospective parents may turn to the black market to fulfill their needs, which may reinforce the
son preference and gender stereotypes.
The current research is limited in the following respects: First, we retrieved all the sentencing documents from the
official CJO website where the court documents, above all, only represent a small proportion of child trafficking activities
in China. For instance, as the final outcomes of a complicated legal process, the sentencing documents may represent only
a small fraction of all the cases initiated by the Criminal Justice Agencies. Furthermore, the definition of child trafficking
we adopted from Article 240 of the Chinese Criminal Law restrains our analysis to a narrow scope. It also bears repeating
that, although it is required by the SPC that courts from all levels upload their sentencing documents, certain types of
files are exempted, especially those deemed “inappropriate” to publicize. As we mentioned above, the number of cases
we have might only be one-third to half of totally number of cases. Second, we are lacking the necessary information to
evaluate the effects of possible selective uploading or purposeful deletion of cases on our study. In addition, since many
measures included in the regression model were considered as indirect and crude, for example, regional dummies and
SRB as indirect control of cultural difference on son preference, the findings must be interpreted with caution. Finally,
but not least, the origins of some of the victims were not mentioned in the sentencing documents, leaving a substantial
proportion of information missing. Hopefully, in the future, the Chinese Court will adopt a more streamlined format when
recording court cases. Until then, cautions should be taken when making further inferences based on our analysis.

5. Conclusions

Neither child trafficking nor infant purchase has been widely studied; Given the lack of reliable data in China, it is hardly
to obtain the accurate annual number of children trafficked. Nevertheless, our analysis represents an attempt to broaden
the current understanding of child trafficking in China. Our research may promote evidence-based strategies for fighting
against child trafficking in China. For instance, data from our research can be used to inform location-based policing
tactics that would concentrate additional law enforcement in the identified hotspots and high-frequency routes, which
would be a both efficient and straightforward method to catch traffickers.

Authors’ Contributions

Both XIN and CAI contributed to the design and implementation of the research, analysis of the results, and writing of
the manuscript.

Ethics
No ethics approval was required for this study.

Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank the two reviewers for their helpful comments.

International Journal of Population Studies | 2018, Volume 4, Issue 2 9