BEIJING, Feb. 22: The China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), a social group approved by the central government, vowed on Tuesday to closely cooperate with authorities to save disabled children who are forced to beg.

A statement from the CDPF said that, as the representatives of the interests of people with disabilities, local federations of disabled persons should actively cooperate with authorities to ensure that disabled children can grow in a safe and healthy environment.

The statement followed recent media reports that some children were forced to beg after they were abducted, trafficked, or threatened. In some cases, healthy children were even deliberately handicapped.

The statement said that the federations of disabled persons at all levels should cooperate with the police to crack down on the criminal activity of exploiting disabled children to beg. The group also aims to help the police save the children who are still in the hands of criminals.

Further, the CDPF will cooperate with civil-affair departments to provide living necessities for rescued disabled children. It also said that the CDPF would work with the government to provide pre-employment vocational training, health care, education and living allowances to disabled children.

The Chinese police launched a crackdown on human trafficking in April 2009, saving more than 6,700 children by the middle of November last year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com