Authorities in Dongguan, Guangdong province, have launched a two-month campaign against the coercion of people into begging.

The crackdown comes after media reports alleged last week that many people, especially children, were forced by gang members to work as beggars in the streets of Dongguan, a manufacturing and trade hub about 100 kilometers from Hong Kong.

Many of the children were first abducted from their hometowns and reportedly sold to criminal gangs in Dongguan. The gang members would then intentionally injure, even disable, the victims and force them to become beggars, according to the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily.