Thanks for that Raoul. You must be very fluent in Chinese to talk with street kids. Pathetic story. The same happens in Mexico (Cancun, Merida) but I don't know if the kids are sold or stolen. I think the parents use them as beggers/sellers as I often see the kids in pairs, brother and sister. Some were tired working the square all day but looked well dressed.

You said governments are sometimes outgunned.
More grim reality.

Some of my students have been robbed or defrauded in Changsha but they won't go to the police. They say nothing will be done. Has it been like this for long? People in the West have the wrong impression of tight police control here.