China targets human trafficking after kiln scandal

BEIJING (Reuters) - China, rocked by a brick kiln child slavery scandal, plans to set up a national panel to stop human trafficking, aimed at protecting women and children from forced labor and prostitution, state media reported on Tuesday.

The joint panel, made up of 21 government ministries, would try to find solutions and report directly to the State Council, China's cabinet, the report said, citing the Ministry of Public Security.

"The number of such cases is rising," the China Daiy quoted the ministry's Yin Jianzhong as saying, referring to forced labour and sexual exploitation.

China was rocked this year by the exposure of a massive slavery and child labor scandal that saw hundreds of farmers, teenagers and some children forced to work in scorching brick kilns, enduring beatings and prison-like confinement.

Aid groups say women and children in China also face a growing threat of being sold into marriage or trafficked for sex work as labour migration and a widening gender imbalance put them at risk.