Chapter 100

Chairman Bai came to offer consolation, not just to talk. He brought a trunk full of consolation items.

Oranges, apples, malt essence, towels, soap, and laundry detergent. There were things to eat and use, a variety of items, but not in large quantities, and of low value, totaling no more than 500 yuan. With over thirty women and twenty children, Zhou Zhengfa and Wang Yan were at a loss as to how to distribute them.

The Women's Federation had no power or money, truly a department with a clear conscience.

Although Chairman Bai was in a car, the car belonged to the county committee, not the Women's Federation. It was already quite good that he could come and bring some items. He even provided travel expenses for a few women to return to their hometowns and medical and nutritional expenses for those who did not want to stay in Sigon and wished to have an abortion. He really felt embarrassed to ask for more.

Since they had decided to combat human trafficking, they were prepared for the hard work and lack of appreciation.

Han Bo was not as disappointed as Wang Yan. After seeing off the two leaders and the TV station staff, he chatted for a while, then walked into Director Zhu's office with Zhou Zhengfa, who had been stationed there all along.

"Their emotions are basically stable, Director Zhou. If it weren't for you and the working group, I really wouldn't know what to do."

Han Bo spoke from the heart, genuinely moved.

There were over thirty women, some eager to return home, some torn between wanting to go back and not wanting to leave their children, and some sympathetic to their husbands who were locked up in the detention center, fearing they would be sentenced to prison.

The working group had considered everything in detail and conducted targeted ideological work.

Mrs. Yan, the wife of Township Chief Jiao, led by example, bringing clothes that she and her children no longer wore to give to them, and mobilizing the teachers at Liangzhongliang to donate. Entering the old party school, one could truly feel the warmth of the world, the kindness of people, and the warmth of human relationships.

Zhou Zhengfa took a cigarette, sighing, "Don't say more, or I'll blush. Before the operation, I thought it was just making trouble. Seeing them, hearing their stories, especially seeing them cry when they called home, I felt very distressed. It's a sin, truly a sin! You didn't sleep all night while catching them, and I didn't sleep well either, couldn't sleep."

A man of emotion, no wonder Old Lu valued him so much.

Han Bo rubbed his face and said solemnly, "We owe them a lot, and many of their lives have been ruined. This debt is impossible to repay. For them, what we can do is our limit. Now, we can only try to prevent new debts by maintaining a high-pressure stance against the crime of trafficking and buying trafficked women, and doing everything possible to ensure no new cases arise."

"I fully agree. The anti-trafficking work must continue. We must deal with each case we find, without any leniency."

"Thank you."

"For what? You are the anti-trafficking captain, and I am the director of the anti-trafficking office. Anti-trafficking is our duty."

The director of the Comprehensive Governance Office had no power, no money, and no subordinates, and many officials were unwilling to take on the role.

If there was support from leadership, the director of the Comprehensive Governance Office could play a significant role in maintaining public security because he had the authority to organize and coordinate many departments.

Maintaining social stability and ensuring social order is not just the responsibility of the police.

Han Bo took out a lighter and lit his cigarette, saying, "Director Zhou, the higher-ups cannot be said to be uninterested in anti-trafficking, but they lack a nationwide perspective. Anti-trafficking efforts in different regions are 'regional battles' without a comprehensive plan, and the specific measures and responsibilities are not clear. In my view, anti-trafficking is not just about cracking down and rescuing; it should cover prevention, crackdown, victim assistance, repatriation, and rehabilitation.

We can't just focus on the results and ignore protection. After rescuing the women, we can't just put them on a train and be done with it. We need to understand anti-trafficking from the perspective of the physical and psychological well-being of the victims. After being trafficked, they suffer both physically and mentally. Their resettlement, psychological intervention, and future life and growth are all issues we need to pay attention to."

Having received higher education, he could think so deeply and far ahead from a single case.

One cannot judge a person by their appearance, nor can one measure the sea with a bucket. He must be capable, especially in political sensitivity, which is remarkably sharp.

On his first day as a special envoy, he went to investigate the electronic game hall at the Culture Station.

Liangzhuang values education, and Secretary Lu is relatively conservative, paying attention to public opinion. He took the opportunity to firmly shut down the game hall, resulting in a peculiar situation where it could be opened elsewhere but not in Liangzhuang.

Many people didn't say it out loud, but they felt it was a bit excessive.

However, on the morning of the day before yesterday, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce jointly issued a notice on strengthening the management of electronic game entertainment venues and abolishing the operation of prize-winning electronic games.

They emphasized that the governance and rectification should be an important part of strengthening socialist spiritual civilization, requiring that from December 1, 1996, any electronic game venue engaging in prize-winning activities be treated as gambling, and be legally dealt with by the cultural, public security, and industrial and commercial administrative departments within their respective jurisdictions. The owners and operators would be punished for organizing gambling.

The notice was strongly worded, explicitly stating that the cultural, public security, and industrial and commercial administrative departments must not be perfunctory.

Liangzhuang had taken the lead, and upon receiving the notice, they simply put it aside, not because they didn't take it seriously, but because they had already shut down the game hall. They had acted in advance.

This time, the anti-trafficking effort was the same.

They thought it would cause a lot of trouble, but unexpectedly, they were ahead of the curve again.

Just as they were busy with the arrests and follow-up, the county organized a large-scale anti-trafficking special operation, resulting in no trouble, only achievements.

Zhou Zhengfa no longer thought of Han Bo as a bookworm and couldn't help but ask, "Special Envoy Han, you are now the anti-trafficking captain, and the county has organized a multi-department joint anti-trafficking special operation. Are you too busy to send the women who are eager to return home back to their hometowns?"

"The county's operation doesn't involve me for now. The police force is indeed tight, and the police station can't spare anyone to send Shen Qiuyan and the others home. Director Zhou, I was thinking, could we form an anti-trafficking volunteer group, organize a volunteer team, and mobilize the members of the working group to become anti-trafficking volunteers to assist us in rescuing and repatriating the victims?"

"Since it's the New Year's holiday, asking the comrades to make a long trip to help send a few people shouldn't be a problem, after all, it's a good deed. The key is the funding. Teachers and doctors and nurses have low salaries and tight budgets; we can't ask them to pay for their own tickets."

If you take care of these trivial matters, I can focus on catching the traffickers.

Han Bo was well-prepared and smiled, "Director Zhou, the funding is not a problem. The travel expenses will be covered by the police station. Additionally, I can squeeze out 20,000 yuan as activity funds for the anti-trafficking office, no, for the Comprehensive Governance Office. With the New Year approaching, we can use the momentum of the crackdown, public arrest meetings, and the anti-traff