A notorious fugitive known as "Aunt Mei”, who has been wanted for years for her involvement in multiple child abduction cases, was finally captured on March 21.

On March 24, the death sentence with a two-year reprieve that a man received after being found guilty of breaking into a home and abducting a child was upheld by the court of appeal in Shandong province.

On the surface, these cases demonstrate a relentless criminal justice system that pursues fugitives across years and hands down the harshest penalties possible. But if we read these verdicts as the finish line, we misunderstand the problem. A sentence, no matter how severe, does not undo the trauma of a stolen childhood or the untold anguish that families undergo.

For about two decades, Aunt Mei haunted parents across the country. Her capture is undeniably a win for law enforcement. Yet the very fact that she evaded the law for so long begs the question of how she was able to operate undetected for so many years.

The case of Zeng Xiaohai, the man convicted for abducting an 8-month-old infant in Shandong in 2006, underscores another uncomfortable truth. A death sentence with a two-year reprieve is a severe penalty, but no verdict can undo the infant's lost childhood and the trauma his family underwent till he was reunited with them in 2024.

The harsh truth is that justice is reactive: it acts after the harm is done. And in child trafficking cases, by the time a trafficker is caught, a child may have been sold, relocated and raised under a false identity. Even if found, rehabilitation can be painful and uncertain.

Child trafficking cases are a public health issue, not just a criminal one. A trafficked child is not merely a witness to a crime, but a victim in need of long-term psychological support, education and stability.

Punishment does deter some would-be offenders while satisfying a public demand for accountability. But deterrence is not eradication. True dignity for children lies not in how severely abductors are punished, but in how effectively abduction is prevented in the first place.

To better protect children technology should be deployed not just to catch criminals after the crime is committed, but to prevent abductions from taking place in the first place. Improved DNA databases, facial recognition at key transit points, and real-time alert systems can close the window of opportunity for traffickers. China has made strides in this area, but the pace of adoption across regions remains uneven.

And child protection cannot solely be the police's responsibility. It requires a seamless network involving healthcare workers, educators, social services and local communities. A child showing up at a hospital with an adult who cannot produce vaccination records should trigger an automatic protocol. A teacher noticing a student suddenly withdrawn or bearing signs of distress should immediately report the matter and act.

Progress will come when an Aunt Mei has no market to sell into and no gaps in the system to slip through. The most just sentence is the one that is never needed.