I rarely see something in media which invokes a strong reaction. I used to think I was either dulled or immune to the horrific things on television. The latest murder in North Carolina, the atrocities in Middle East, the bickering politicians, or the blunders of the rich and famous - these all elicit nothing more than a chuckle or a disgusted shake of the head.

Tonight I mistakenly recorded a show on televison which is memorable even at this late hour. Thinking I would settle down to an evening of catching up on House and South Park episodes, I noticed a HBO special about human traficking in China.

This show turned out to be a pithy documentary about families in China who buy and sell children and people. Infants, children, both boys and girls, traded like some commodity. Such a sad display of the principles of supply and demand. The premise of the documentary is that the one-child per family law in China conflicts with the traditions of the culture where the children (especially male) are expected to carry on the family name as well as take care of their aging parents. Couples have to apply for a "child permit" to allow them to have a baby.

Babies born out of wedlock (women can't marry until 20 and men can't marry until 22) or couples who don't abort their second pregnancy are forced to pay stiff penalties to what appear to be corrupt officials - the story implies that they "nicer" they treat the official, the less the fines will be.

It was sad to watch first hand accounts of a family sell their baby girl, trying to negotiate with the Baby Broker beyond the standard 7,000RMB fee. They were so cold hearted about it and they could have been selling a televison on Craigslist for all I knew.

It was even more sad to see a family, having found the police unwilling to help, turn to a retired detective who now dedicates his life to find kidnapped children. This man is the only ray of light in these parent's hell and I commend him. There was a scene where the camera crew snuck in to a viewing room where teenage girls are purchased, to sneak off a recently abducted girls. During the getaway, the rescuer said that they must leave town, because the kidnappers are good friends with the police.

This leads to probably the saddest thing of all. I realized that the Chinese government, while acknowledging this problem, choose to not do anything about it. Other than to offer free late-term abortions (One woman recounts being fined 50RMB for taking abortion pills 2 weeks before birth and then still giving birth to a baby).

The makers of the film somehow found people (buyers, sellers, brokers) who were willing to talk on camera, given some level of anonymity. The mention of government censorship as well as warnings to not discuss these matters with western media was brought up many times.

This is the second such exposé I watched in as many weeks. Certainly the Beijing Olympics focuses the world's eye on this country. Though I have no idea how to solve the socio-economic issues in China, I can only imagine that the culture which invented gun powder and built the Great Wall can figure something out...soon.