2016年CRI China's AMBER System in Operation

 

But it's suggested more work needs to be done when it comes to the country's anti-trafficking campaign.

The initiative involves Chinese web giants Alibaba providing technical support, and Sina Weibo posting information on missing children.

More than 5,000 anti-trafficking police will provide updates to the app, including photos and physical descriptions, upon receiving new reports of missing children.

Chen Shiqu, head of the anti-human trafficking office of the Public Security Ministry¹, explains how the system operates.

"Once a child is reported missing, and within several seconds after police issue the information, the application users will receive pop-up alerts on their handsets as long as they are within a certain distance away from where the child was last seen. The users are expected to help look for the child and contact police if they find something they think is useful."

The range of those push notifications expands depending on the length of time the child has been missing.

For instance, if a child is lost less than one hour beforehand, the information will be sent to those people within 100 kilometers; if the child has been lost for over three hours, the coverage² will reach 500 kilometer.

The information will also be available on the system's official Sina Weibo account.

The new system is technically³ similar to the US alert system for missing children - America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, more commonly known as an AMBER⁴ alert.

In the United States, AMBER Alerts are distributed via multiple channels including commercial radio stations, Internet radio, satellite radio, television, e-mail, and text messages.

With the help of the system, close to 98 percent of lost children in the US can be found each year.

But according to AMBER's operator, technology actually plays a smaller part in that percentage than public participation⁵.

"In the United States, the identification is key to this program... A big part of that is NGOs."

With an increasing awareness⁶ in recent years, the Chinese public has played a bigger role than ever in the country's anti-trafficking effort.

Earlier this month, a leading domestic realtor, Homelink, announced its 6,000 branches across the country will become emergency alert stations for children who are separated from their parents.

Su Hui with the company.

"If a child comes to seek help, we will first report it to police and hand over the child to police. If parents come to claim the children, we'll also hand over the children to police for identification. Before police arrive, our staff will accompany the children and keep them safe."

However, the move aroused criticism from the police who suggested that children who become separated from their parents remain in the area where they became lost, either waiting for their parents to find them or borrowing a handset from passers-by to contact police.

Homelink's effort was indeed a part of a larger campaign initiated⁷ by Zhang Yongjiang, who manages a private foundation focusing on child safety.

Zhang said he has good intentions.

"The move was expected to help prevent children from being harmed if they lose their parents and meanwhile, to deter⁸ child traffickers."

Wang Dawei with People's Public Security University of China says NGOs can operate as long as certain requirements are met.

"The guidance and training provided by police are necessary. The training will not only focus on rescue-related knowledge, but also address morality and psychology⁹ of NGO workers."

China has long pledged to fight human trafficking. In 2014, Chinese police rescued 13,000 missing children.

Chen Shiqu with the Public Security Ministry says after Alibaba and Sina Weibo, the system will involve more internet service providers in the future to improve its efficiency.

For CRI, this is Niu Honglin.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

4 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

5 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

8 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

9 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。