This article was published on October 19, 2009

Baby put up on Chinese online auction site Taobao


Baby put up on Chinese online auction site Taobao

20091018babyauction01Taobao, the Chinese equivalent of eBay is a place where you can buy everythingeven babies, as it seems. Recently, someone posted an ad to sell a baby girl, an advertisement that rapidly spread throughout China and shocked many netizens.

The ad specified that the baby was born in April 2008. Bids start at the symbolic amount of 1 RMB, and there are no shipping costs. However, the seller wanted to meet the buyer before transaction could take place.

The seller had been successfully selling DVD’s and alarm clocks, and gained a high buyers approval rating of 97.25%. The shop had a cell phone number and home address attached. Shortly after, Chinese media contacted the reseller explained that they wanted to continue the family name, but his niece had a girl instead of a boy. “I am not a human trafficker, it is adoption, and we do not require any money or material things in return.”

However, China Hush reported that the seller was indeed violating the law. Sichuan Lushi Law Firm attorney Pu Kui said that it is not accurate. According to the Adoption Act, there are strict rules for the adopter, the donor for adoption, the person to be adopted and related conditions. Violators may be constituted the crime of human trafficking babies, and subject to criminal charges. We have seen this in Germany before, the mother then said it merely was a joke.

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