Chinese DNA database:
China Daily is reporting that the Chinese police are starting to put together a national DNA database to help combat child trafficking and help lost children; 107,000 kids and 35,000 from anxious parents.
The database is composed of blood samples taken by the police from missing children’s parents, children suspected of having been abducted or with an unclear history, children in social welfare institutes, homeless children and child beggars, according to the ministry. Information on the database is shared among the 236 DNA laboratories in the country…It costs 100 yuan ($14.8) to take a blood sample, while the cost of DNA tests vary. In Beijing, each DNA test costs at least 2,400 yuan, she said.
Police authorities cover the expense, so the service is free for parents and children. During a nine-month anti-trafficking campaign, which began in April 2009, police rescued a total of 14,717 women and children, according to the ministry’s latest data. They arrested 17,528 suspects, including 19 who had a level A (most wanted) warrant against them. About 30,000 to 60,000 children are reported missing every year in China, but it is hard to estimate how many are cases of human trafficking, the ministry said.
Of course, the numbers are pretty drop in the bucket for China, but this is the first I’ve ever heard of something real being done on this sort of thing. Note the bolded ‘social welfare institutions’ - aka orphanages like the one the twins came out of.
I’m skeptical as to the sort of test they’re using and how much of this is hype…I’ve had long cold hard experience with the Chinese press warping things out of reality, and I’ve seen various DNA testing setups here for sisterfar-ish purposes. Not all DNA tests are the same, not by a long shot.