After being abducted to Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Shanghai for three months, a 16-year-old girl was returned to her parents in north China on May 22. The clue to finding her came from a private website.

With the Chinese celebrating Children's Day on June 1, this success story, where police and social groups united, is a reminder of how much work still needs to be done to fight child-trafficking.

The girl, surnamed Wang, was kidnapped in February from Datong City, Shanxi Province.

"Her parents asked for help on our website, and we sent the information, including a mobile phone number the human trafficker left them, to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). Then the police arrested the suspects, freed the girl and sent her home," said Zhang Baoyan, 47, head of the Baobeihuijia website, which means "baby back home."

The website based in Tonghua City in northeast China's Jilin Province, has united more than 10,000 volunteers, mostly parents of missing children, to search, collect and check information. Since it was founded in 2007, Baobeihuijia has helped in the recovery of 36 abducted children.

Zhang and other eight volunteers were invited to Beijing in April by the MPS to discuss anti-abduction work with top police officials.

"The officials accepted lots of our suggestions. For example, how to build a DNA database of abducted children and how to start investigations quickly after receiving reports from parents," Zhang said. "We are really proud of this."

China launched a campaign in April of this year to crack down on human trafficking. The MPS published ten most-wanted list offenders. As of the end of May, three had been arrested.

Also, police at all levels were ordered to conduct more interviews with the public to ask for information on existing cases.

"Lots of useful information lies in our hands as volunteers spread across the country," Zhang said. "After the discussion in Beijing, we are encouraged to provide clues about the possible human traffickers, potential buyers and children who are suspected of having been abducted. "

"We can also report to the ministry if the local police are reluctant or inefficient about investigating."