Since April 2009, when the ministry launched a special campaign to combat trafficking of women and children, 5,900 criminal cases involving trafficking children have been uncovered, with 9,300 abducted children rescued by police, according to statistics released by the ministry.

Among the children handled by police, the majority are those taken by parents or relatives, or tricked by others into begging.

Those abducted and forced to beg in the streets are in the minority, Chen said.

Many local authorities have responded positively and taken measures to intensify anti-trafficking efforts.

In East China's Zhejiang province, an anti-abduction organization led by the local police and joined by 31 government authorities was set up to curb trafficking in women and children.

In Qingdao city of East China's Shandong province, local police initiated a campaign on Thursday to crack down on trafficking or manipulating minors to beg in the street.

"The salvation of trafficked children through micro blogs is a new and helpful way for police to get clues," Wang Hongjun, director of the public order research office at Chinese People's Public Security University, told China Daily on Friday.

"It is indispensable for police to confirm relationships with its DNA database," Wang said.

During the investigations, however, police must carefully verify online clues to avoid fake leads, Wang added.

"The online crackdown on child trafficking is positive, especially by the micro blogs, which can spread clues and post children's information quickly," said Qian Jun, a Beijing-based lawyer specializing in online cases.

"The key lies in making efforts to protect victims' rights and prevent them from being harmed again," Qian added.