Chinese Ambassador to Canada H.E. Wang Di
A missing Chinese boy called Lian Cheng was rescued by the police at 8 pm. By the time he was found, the blue shirt and white pants he had been wearing were changed to a pink dress by the kidnappers. Thanks to China’s Reunion (Tuanyuan) System, an online platform that has been likened to the AMBER Alert in Canada, the boy was found in less than a day.
Earlier that day, the Public Security Bureau of Huixian City in central China’s Henan Province was alerted by Lian Cheng’s parents about his abduction. They immediately posted relevant information on the Reunion System, including the boy’s physical description, age, location of disappearance, and information about the suspected abductors. Then, the information was instantly pushed to the mobile phones of people in the surrounding areas.
The police later received a tip from a taxi driver who noticed a woman and a child, resembling Lian Cheng, in his cab. The child was crying, and the woman’s behaviour seemed suspicious. Acting on this information, the police quickly pinpointed the whereabouts of the abductors.
Launched by Chinese public security authorities in 2016, the Reunion System is an emergency platform for sharing information on missing children. The alert system utilizes nearly 30 mobile apps and new media outlets to disseminate information about missing children and rally the public to help find them. Thanks to the power of the Internet, the Reunion System features both high efficiency and geographic precision with its alerts.
It is internationally recognized that the first three hours after a child goes missing are the golden hours for finding them. After three hours, the chances of finding drop significantly. The system focuses on the location where a child has been reported missing. Within the initial hour of disappearance, alerts are sent out within a 100-kilometer radius. By the second hour, the alerts extend to a 200-kilometre radius, and by the third hour, they cover a 300-kilometre radius. Beyond the three-hour mark, the alerts reach out to a 500-kilometer radius. The main purpose of the system is to mobilize people in the surrounding areas where the child disappeared, encouraging them to provide leads to the police, thus facilitating the swift and safe rescue of the child.
Spreading information about missing children to every mobile phone user is a powerful deterrent against human traffickers. Racing against time, the Reunion System has helped more than 5,000 missing children reunite with their families over the past eight years.
The safety of children and the happiness of families are shared aspirations that know no borders. Whether you are in China or Canada, please take note of any alerts you receive about missing children. Your attention could make a difference to a child’s life, bringing them one step closer to home, and potentially helping keep a family complete.
