Jk, I wonder why Britain is so rich, would you ask your government to compensate and payback to China and many other countries, or would you not agree trading slaves and forcing opium into Chinese people is something wrong, how about robbing of natural resources and mistreating locals isn't that bullying and tell me how did Britain get away with it.

Your fact is base on you are living in a democratic country you can say whatever you want and whatever you say is right, your mind is bias that Communist government up to top levels are all inhuman, undemocratic, bullies and corrupted.

Shi, Singapore,

Whenever at forum, talkback on topics related to China tends to be negative and not reasonable. This happening is very sick, but to say that China government has no human rights or the government is involved to me is even more sickening. The local authority should be held responsible, what makes China central government difficult to control; China is big with 20% of earth population, which at one time is isolated from the world and only started developing from 1979 from basically nothing. Even at the current rate of economic growth, it will take them many more years to improve majority’s living standard, there tends to be greedy people misusing authority in developing nation not just China. U think western style democracy is the solution, I think you will be most happy if China disintegrate into a number of country. However I support giving the media more power, so the Central Government is not kept from the dark of any authority misuse by local government.

Shi, Singapore,

All of you are not Chinese,so you wouldn't really understand our Chiese,you are prejudice to our Chinese.

Fu Xiaochao , Nanchang, China

China's attitude towards human rights is shocking, and also towards animals and the environment. This is not a civilised country. It is just a big bullying nation who behave in this way because they know they can get away with it. The Olympics should not be going here, and we should boycott all Chinese made goods.

JK, Kent, UK

considerable hostile comments (?) on this issue run off the way as the reviewers focus on the words like "communist regime" and people who want to boycott the Games are heading for the very opposite of the Games' spirits,and i feel sorry if you really do.

mingzhi wang, pengzhou/Sichuan, PRC

How ruthless those people could be is beyond our imagination. At the age of playing, children were abducted and forced to work. Now, when the world is discovering new things everyday we are surprised by a horrific humiliation. Let us just wonder what is happening in other parts of the world. Perhaps, we still have to be stunned by more terrible and orchestrated activities against human beings. Why eradication of this activities is belived to be impossible in 21st century?How would we feel if we or anyone close to us went missing(being a slave)?

Md. Farhad Ul Islam , London, England

People! Think over when you buy Chinese goods. Was it made by children’s or slave’s hands?
No doubt a low price of Chinese goods is the result of unacceptable conditions of labor. Buying cheep Chinese goods you assist to slave owners.

Vitaly, Penza, Russia

It is always easier to turn the other way a pretend that we do not know what is happening because we would maybe have to do something about it. Stop and think of all that has happened around the world just in the last ten years. If we could stop anything, it might cast us money, time or maybe our lives. Look at how afraid the news people are that they cannot report the truth about what goes on in the middle east. So they make things up, report doctored pictures, and cover up what, just so they can stay without getting killed.
better no story at all then damaging lies.

Shirley E Maunz, liberty, ohio USA

After the information that China supports the Sudanese corrupt regime we hear of this horrific child slavery. Do we really want the Olympic Games to be held in China ? If the Games do take place in China then we are all guilty of their crimes.
Maybe we cannot stop the Olympic Games but we certainly can stop ourselves from attending them and that itself would be a blow to their dignity.

fatan mehran, geneva, switzerland

The father of the Chinese cultural revolution whose portrait epitomises the glaring modern society in the country did enslave the whole nation in the name of a revolution and the same blood of authoritarian ideology continues in the current Communist party . This nation does not deserve to be hosting the 2008 Olympics .

Sankha Bhattacharya, SANTA CLARA, USA

It's saddens and disgusts me that the US continues to do business with this country...apparently Bush's/neo-con democracy doesn't involve concern for human life. Anything for a dollar/pound/yen, ey?

Nancy, northeastern, USA NY

Micheal in China writes...." to help create a truly harmonious society for all its citizens."

Which will only be possible through an open and democratic government. To continue with the Olympic Games in China when facilities for it have been built using slave labour makes any participating country and their sportsmen and women complicit in condoning the use of slavery..in short it's despicable. The Games should be boycotted to send a strong message to the regime in China that there are some things in this world that are simply not acceptable.

Viv, London, England

No, don't boycott anything , keep attention on the problem & encourage China to come into the open, boycotting could just drive them backwards making this dreadful problem worse.
Could you imagine news of this kind coming to light 20 years ago , unlikely, because China was so closed & secret. Since then they have come a long way.
The more open it becomes the more tourists & new businesses who move into the country is a far better way for us to find such atrocities, yes I agree we are all to blame wanting cheaper goods, but by buying goods & helping to make a thriving economy in China, we will continue to raise the living standards of it's inhabitants & in turn influence it's leaders.
It will take time to level out but banning the Games is not the answer.
Now the problem of slavery is known to the world, we should trust the Chinese to stamp it out , they have a culture of, not wanting to ' lose face' so will not want the world looking upon them in disgust.

Maggie Millington, Brittany, France

Most of the comments here are knee-jerk reactions.

I'm sure the majority of the ruling party was just as shocked by this story as readers of The Times.

The main problem in this case is enforcement, especially at lower levels of government where corruption is endemic. This is not some dastardly scheme by a unitary CCP to exploit its people.

China has enormous governance problems. Imagine trying to run a country with more than twenty times the population of the UK, with GDP per capita only a fraction of that of the UK, and only some 30 years' experience of market reforms.

Of course, political reforms would help. For instance, a freer press would help uncover (as it actually did this time) and perhaps even deter outrages like this one. More responsive local government. And so on. But there are signs the government really is learning.

Don't expect progress over night. But don't assume that the government is simply the "problem". Like it or not, it is also the "solution".

Mike, London,

I suppose the question is what is most likely to have a good effect - ostracising the 2008 olympics or not? At first I thought we should boycott but then I thought, will boycotting the Olympics mean that in China, this kind of expose would be clamped down upon in future because of the financial loss it has caused this time? The real shame for China is in its loss of face here. Of course money is important but losing face because of behaving like primitive barbarians, is a disgrace on the government which allowed their country and its development to be seen in this terrible way by outsiders. The Chinese government should enforce humane laws for this reason too.

Jenny , london, uk

so boycotting china will help? run through this in your mind please. chinas continued development has lifted hundreds of millions of people in china alone out of abject poverty. every countries development has included instances like this. india has slave labour in its rice fields, brazil in its soya fields. england has women in sex slavery, as does argentina. boycotting the olympicgames would have a negative impact upon the people you want to help. bring china to task over this and international media pressure not boycotting would be a better solution. to me china has responded admirably by raiding suspected factories. 35000 policemen deployed in a very short period of time is better than the british government has done to tackle sex slavery within its own borders. and just to remind everyone the majority of developed economies ie england, germany, usa were built on slave labor. and to ms ann johnson from belgium how do you think belgium got so wealthy? ask king leopold in his grave

sean, london,

How can something this disgusting and horrific still happen in this day and age. There should be more coverage on this - it cannot be tolerated.

Astriel, Hong Kong,

Search in Google for "indian slave workers". Then read "Guest workers fired after protesting SLAVE conditions". You find the point of the iceberg of the virtual slavery conditions of about 400 000 temporary foreign workers in US.

Juan Antillón, San José, Costa Rica

I would contend that the despicable behavior associated with the slavery mentioned in this article represents nothing new. It is reflective of a culture that on a whole does not , and has not historically, valued individuals. Greed on the part of business owners plays into the equation. But it is not as important a factor as the belief that certain groups of people simply don't matter (the poor, baby girls, those without education and on and on..) It's doubtful the Chinese involved in the actual abuses considered their actions to be bad or wrong. They were just caught.

F.D., Virginia, U.S.A.

This just shows the total break down of the goverment and also shows the greed and lengths that these business owners will go to make a profit for themselves. New laws must be introduced and must be followed so that this can not happen again. But being that its in china who knows what will happen.

victor , chicago, Unite States

To Mark Macfarlane, Manchester

History has shown that we all have something to be ashamed of but "present day slavery" and assisting a country that is openly doing nothing to stop a genocide is definitely on top of my list.

Ann Johnson, Brussels, Belgium

I can just hope that this and other abuses will eventually make the Chinese people realize just what kind of a broken, corrupt system they live in. Maybe it will be the Chinese, afterall, who will become the great democracy of the 21st Century - after America and Europe are already increasingly become police states.

Rache Bartmoss, Frankfurt,

Well done, 400 parents! However, it is a shame that your government seems to need such horrific things made public before they decide do anything about it. Perhaps this will be a lesson to your government to do what it is right and proper to do first - out of principle - and then maybe they will be applauded by the world for being leaders who are beyond reproach and thus inspiring other governenments to become likewise.

T. Bishop, London, UK

I share your sorrow, Hong (Tongkuang). I am weeping.

For those who say that we should Boycott the Olympics or the products that are sold to support the Olympics, I say that this is not enough. Slave labor is being directly and indirectly supported by the companies, Chinese and from the rest of the world, that are profiting by the low costs of the products that are made with slave labor. And the consumers who buy these products are also benefiting from this slave labor by being able to purchase such inexpensive products.

Everyone in the world should demand that undeniable proof be giving that any and all products that they purchase have not been produced using slaves and other despicable labor practices. And if this proof cannot be given, then the products should not be purchased.

Yes, this will cost all of us in the world more money for these various products, but we must pay the price, otherwise we have blood on our own hands, as well.

L. Zusman, New York, NY, USA

While i would frown upon boycotting the Olympic Games, its sad to say that such a method would probably be the best.. What's needed is a message to the lower levels of the government and the general public about this issue and the failure of the Olympic games for such reasons is probably the only event big enough to send a message across the country.

Shoon Wei, Singapore,

This is not a perfect world we live in .. and the story has caused undoubted national shock in China.
Maybe the significant point about this story is that it was uncovered by a Chinese investigative journalist with a local television network in Henan Province, where missing children had been reported from time to time. According to China Daily the journalist's name is Fu Zhenzhong.
China does not need to be ostracised and isolated by the outside world again but offered support and technical and social expertise to help create a truly harmonious society for all its citizens.

Michael, Wuhan, P R China

I agree to a boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games to bring pressure from the international community on the governing communist regime in China to stop all atrocities on the poor Chinese people. The IOC should be ashamed for supporting the communist regimes' coming out party when:

Of most concern is the complete lack of care for any human life.

Please let’s not forget China’s own little genocide. The fact that Falun Gong prisoners of conscience are the only group (of prisoners) blood tested in jail and killed on demand to procure organs to rich foreigners on short notice really annoys me. The report ‘Bloody Harvest’ confirms that both the military and civilian hospitals are involved including the people’s courts. This state-sanctioned macabre practice should be put to a halt before it’s too late. Read the report:
http://organharvestinvestigation.net
And sign this petition to boycott the 2008 games

http://www.boycottccpolympic.org/

Jana, Perth, Australia

Why does this news not suprise me?
It occurs in many so called developing nations whose internal policies allow the privileged to exploit the masses under so called peoples goverments.
Even in America and Europe the gangster elements exploit the lack of enforcement of labour laws, and working conditions.
The increase in goverment activity in the social and domestic arenas does not include more enforcement personnel, except in such areas as ASBOS and semi officials such as community officers, which no one respects as they see the government abrogate its overall responsibilities.

Mr Johnson, Kuala Lumper, Malaysia

Good old fashioned capitalism at work.

Lynne, melbourne, australia

Surely the Beijing Olympics should be moved to a host country where this kind of disgusting practise doesn't occur? At the very least, all sales of merchendise should be boycotted by foreign visitors.

Elizabeth, Banbury, United Kingdom

As a US consumer I am now disgusted at our low priced foreign goods and will be buying domestic for a while. They do not come with tags that say "made with slave labor". With the deceptions like saying the slaves are volunteers, until a mother finds her missing son who pleads to be released, and a school that is really a fireworks factory, there is now way for us to know what is really going on in China.

The US and leading nations should work together with China (and with a lot of pressure) to end these attrocities. We have already learned through our very painful Civil War that ended US slavery, and 100 years of racial tension and work to really end it. Even though China is developing at a rate of a few New York Cities each year, there is no excuse for this treatment of other people, especially the helpless children. Wrong is wrong and it must be stopped.

Chris, Summerville, South Carolina

Apologies for the excesses of initial industrialization are one thing, but enslavement, beatings & starvation cannot be explained away. The systemic corruption and willingness to exploit others is part of the sordid legacy of the Communist Party.

Karen, Columbus, Ohio/USA

People from other cultures should mind their own business. This is a Chinese thing and they will deal with it in a manner appropriate to their civilization. Changing this behavior will happen only at glacial speed from within because it involves changing basic attitudes ethics and morals toward life. Just visit a Chinese zoo and see how it "apes" its Western counterpart. The exhibits of "wild" housecats and dogs that get the same poked-at-by-sticks-through-the-bars treatment as all the other animals in the zoo shows that every living creature has its place in the Confucian hierarchical order. To the Chinese, "equality" and "fairness" are not basic principles so if change is to happen through some sort of reasoning process, it will come very slowly. Not in our lifetime.

Amy Wong, Columbus, Ohio, USA

And China has recently boycotted and altered the new American film release of Pirates of the Caribbean for showing unfavorable images of Chinese people! How hypocritical can they get? All they worry about is saving face, so they will clean up a few slaves for the publicity and shame. How many more are there? How much more corruption and collusion in the name of buying off the domestic market (give them air conditioners so they won't notice the lack of freedoms) and collecting a trade surplus will we uncover? Their god is money (they have no others to promote) and with that, anything goes.

Emily Strauss, Macao, China

While slavery may be a condoned practice in China, part of the reason Chinese authorities are reacting so strongly is because of the upcoming Olympics and increased international focus on China. It is better that all these human rights violations come to the fore now than never. China's transition to a responsible global superpower will be long and painful. We should welcome all disclosures like this, which forces China to change their bad habits.

Kristina Wong, Washington, DC

I am stunned when I read this article. I nearly busrt into tears when I sense the feeling of those yong workers as well as their parents. How can this happen in our peaceful and properous nation? All I can see as a common citizen of China is that everybody beside me enjoying their lives and earning satisfactory salary by wits or labour; People's living condition is greatly improved to a seeable high standard.
I only can explain that this is the side effect of the fast growing economy,and it cann't be advoidable in every developing country even in the developing era of so called civilized western world like USA, CANADA, UK Etc. The good part of it is that the government has noticed it and determind to undermine all those side effects. Do have faith in the party and do have faith in the leadership of Wen JIabao and Hu Jintao.Many other like them in China are still working hard to make a better life for the people.

Jean Evans, Ning Xia, P. R. China

While slavery may be a condoned practice in China, part of the reason Chinese authorities are reacting so strongly is because of the upcoming Olympics and increased international focus on China. It is better that all these human rights violations come to the fore now than never. China's transition to a responsible global superpower will be long and painful. We should welcome all disclosures like this, which forces China to change their bad habits.

Kristina Wong, Washington, DC

Child labour exploitation is a vile business. However it must also be seen in context . Criminal behaviour by our enlightned standards now, this kind of thing is on par with practises that were accepted here in Britain in the Industrial revolution, and indeed in some cases up to the first world war in the cotton and mining industries. China as a people on the move will address these excesses as we did. Ordinary Chinese people are agast at this exploitation, and are demanding government action.
Ann, dont be a drongo. Wrecking the coming Olympics will not advance good relations nor create positive influence for good with China one iota. We nreed to build bridges with the emerging powerhouses in order to ensure appropriate reform. And remember please that just like the cheaply manufactured but expensive to buy ' designer ' shoes, clothes, and electrical goods sold here, it is OUR greedy franchise owners and holders holders and label purveyors who mark up merchandise by 500% ......

Jo Geoghegan, Brisbane, Australia

We have to take action ourselfes, the World Governments(Economy )will not listen and will not lift a finger because MONEY is so importent to them,so don't buy anything made in China.

Auke, Ayvalik, Türkiye

Employing the child labour is illicit and forbidden in China. Those who ignore the rules and break the law will be severely punished.

tony, Nanjing, china

The first post wondered if this event was an anomaly although egregious (an understatement, for sure.) A boycott of the games is simply turning your back on the problem if it is pervasive. Such a protest will bring limited press to any issue and provide less involvement by outside influences. For instance, the U.S. blockade of Cuba has certainly not changed things there.

If China is to be our example, simply compare each of the preceeding 5 decades to China today. Trade has blossomed since the late '70's and with involvement comes progress.

Tom, New Orleans, Louisiana, US

The world must stop and reconsider China's place in global relations. With western businesses and governments rushing to get in on the Chinese boom, they can scarcely avoid getting implicated in something like this to some degree, sooner or later. The article suggests that this is an anomalous event but I doubt it. Lately China has inflicted wound after embarrassing wound on itself between forced slavery and tainted exports. No nation is without its failures and missteps but China’s egregious errors expose the rot of the communist regime and its dubious claim to the title of superpower. The world should boycott the Bejing Olymipcs at the very least.

Lance Peterson, Jacksonville, Florida USA

At a time when even the minutest individual transaction is registered and evaluated to gauge consumer demand, how can China's trade partners claim ignorance of such practices ?
The whole world should boycott the Olympic games - China hosting them is hypocrisy and cynicism of the highest order.

Heather Harteneck, Clearwater, USA/FL

Ann Johnson (Brussels, Belgium), would you have boycotted the Games in Sydney because of the humilliating treatment inflicted by the Howard Government on Australian Aborigenes? Will you boycott the Games in London because of the collaboration between the British Govermnment and several (corrupt) African and Caribbean governments? I would love to get your opinion on this.

Marc McFarlane, Manchester, UK

You want cheap clothes, you want cheap electronics.

Do you think that China is some magic place where products can be produced more cheaply than in the West without a price to pay?

Western Gvnts. know all about these issues, they just don't care. It's the economy stupid.

Clark, Genf, Schweiz

It is utterly nauseating that no country will speak out strongly or take action against China's human rights violations. Britain is one of the most cowardly - look at the atrocities committed in Tibet - where is mouthpiece Blair?

We should boycott the Olympic Games - China is not acting int he spirit of such an event.

Tamsin, Atyrau, Kazakstan

Why close China from other world , open Chinise door to all & mixed with other's. Pls push Chinese Government regarding this issue & solve.

Masud Karim, Dhaka, Bangladesh

8 years of slavery does not hapen without collusion from the highest levels of government. As shown by the response to demands for better treatment from government by students in Tianenmen square, the Chinese government is quite willing to kill, enslave, starve even it's own citizens, the least among them, for the sake of profits and 'development'.
And still our western governments wish to support them and give them relevance?
I'm affraid the enemy of humanity has already won, we just haven't even realized what that enemy really is.

Shaterra, DFW, US

I am a sorrowful Chinese,What you know is a a corner of iceberg，Children slave's blood exist in every brick of the 2008 OLympics game's building

Hong, Tongkuang,

As usual it took the determined efforts of a common woman and a mother to jolt the authorities into doing their job. hey didn't manage to sideline her and make her go away. This article definitely lets us know what a heckuva job Wen + Bao is doing...maybe not for these people, but for some people, those 'first let a part of the people get rich' people. I do look forward to his aria on how he pretended not to know these things....I can wait. Are these people not worried at all about the Communists taking over? Who told these party members they could engage in industrial serfdom and set up tyrannical commercial fiefdoms? [rhetorical question to whose response will be the second of the Three Speaks: 'If I don't tell on you, then you won't tell on me', i.e. resounding silence] The truth is that Mr. Wen + Bao does not have big enough ones to tackle these local tyrants in Henan, Shanxi and many other provinces. Things have already gone too far. The corruption is systemic and entrenched.

Linda Dial, Calgary, Canada

I think we should all boycott the Olympic games.
This and the collaboration between China and the Sudanese government. !!

Ann Johnson, Brussels, Belgium

This is absolutely a serious offense to human rights. But, it's descrbed as illegal labor usage by the government.

Raymond, china, china

Who would go to the Olympics or take part in them knowing this?

Carol, Perth, Australia

This story brought tears to my eyes. I'm glad to read about it. Such atrocities would have been hidden from the outside world only a few years ago. What becomes clear now is the source of China's economic boom. They are using human blood in the mortar of their majestic new buildings. Fueled by misery, intolerable cruelty and a callous disregard for human life their economy pushes forward relentlessly. It is incomprehensible that the egregious abomination that is slavery still lurks in the shadows of the modern world. Shame on you China !

John, London, United Kingdom

This picture look like one from the early 1900s (the Jiu-She-Hui or Old Society) with color added - communist revolution is a total waste.

Zhong-guo-ren, NY, NY

No wonder the Taiwanese and their Taiwanophiles always laugh and look down on China

MarkMilton, Westfield, USA

Interesting...visit the large cities and you will see basically the same thing. The slave labor is of course retitled as employees, however the wages are almost non-existent, living conditions are squalor, and life expectancy is only 7 years. China under the wonderful communist dream has really never risen above the items in this article, which by the way, is very well done.

Tom, washington, usa

By destroying traditional culture, crushing all forms of free thinking, stripping away human rights, fighting with Heaven & Earth, and replacing the spiritual void in China with the worship of materialism, the CCP has created this monster...and now its having to face it.

A "booming economy" won't be enough to keep the Old Guard in Beijing, in power. The CCP's time has come and gone. New leadership in China is inevitable.

Lewis , new york,

everyone who buys a product manufactures in china should think twice

alloyer, lyon, FRANCE