The Ministry of Public Security is urging buyers of abducted women or children to turn themselves in to local police as soon as possible, saying those who confess before Nov 1 will not be punished under a harsher new anti-human-trafficking law.

Under the Ninth Amendment to the Chinese Criminal Law, passed by the top legislature over the weekend, buyers of abducted individuals will face tougher penalties and criminal liability. The law takes effect on Nov 1.

Police will detain buyers in trafficking cases who have been exempt until now. Those charged with rape, intentional injury or illegal detention of women or children are subject to stiff punishments, although lighter ones are possible in cases where the individual was not physically harmed.

Under the existing criminal law, people who buy women or children are not held criminally liable if they did not abuse them or interfere with their rescue.

The ministry has contributed much to the fight against human trafficking in the past few years, including developing campaigns and establishing a system to find missing children.

Police across the country have helped more than 3,800 abducted children return to their families through the use of a DNA database, according to the ministry.

Chen Shiqu, director of the anti-human-trafficking office of the Ministry of Public Security's Criminal Investigation Department has said that tougher punishments could root out human traffickers, including buyers. The hope is that the harsher penalties for buyers will effectively clean up the illegal trade, he said.

"The revised provision says that anyone trafficking or buying women or children cannot claim immunity from criminal charges, which is progress," said Zhang Zhiwei, director of China University of Political Science and Law's Center for International Cooperation Against Human Trafficking.

"Human trafficking will lose its market if the buyers' market is controlled," he said.

Contact the writer at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/03/2015 page5)