The illegal employment and maltreatment of more than 1,000 minors by private brick kilns in Shanxi Province, nearly 600 km northwest of Beijing, is a story that has shocked the nation. Some of the kilns were also found to have been responsible for the deaths and disabilities of their employees, or involved in their abduction and trafficking. So far, several hundred young laborers have been released, a good number of the kiln owners, contractors and accomplices have been detained, and intensive efforts are underway to close down the kilns and rescue many more victims. The atrocious working conditions of the young people, where they had experienced physical and mental abuse, have all emerged following media exposure and police raids on the premises.

The exposure of these contemptible criminal acts has ignited public outrage across China and the world, and impelled the leadership in Beijing to take prompt action. Government investigation teams and wanted circulars for the fugitives at large are all part of the ongoing campaign. During a State Council meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, the Governor of Shanxi Province was self-critical of the incident, and was then charged with uprooting any illegal use of labor in his province. In order to eliminate these and other labor offenses across the country, the meeting also unanimously adopted a decision to launch a nationwide campaign in the coming months to track down any similar illegal practices, especially among small and private workshops at the township and village levels. Labor management and standards are also to be enforced in more effective and efficient ways.

While it is a great relief to learn of all these positive developments, one cannot help thinking about the causes of these tragic incidents. In the first place, it is clearly a result of the greedy pursuit of maximum profits by cold-hearted kiln operators. With China's transition to a market economy, turning a quick profit is perceived as something perfectly justified. But the profits must be earned honestly, and any attempt to do otherwise, whether in Shanxi or anywhere else, should not only be condemned, but also severely dealt with according to law.

Another reason, and perhaps a more profound one, is traced back to the negligence of local government agencies in their roles of enforcing industrial supervision and ensuring labor and social security. But perhaps the most abhorrent cause for the violations of basic human rights in Shanxi Province is the underhand collusion between the unscrupulous kiln operators and corrupt officials at grassroots level. It is owing to the umbrella of these so-called "civil servants" that offenders have felt emboldened and behaved in such a contemptuous manner.

Both the profiteering businessmen and corrupt officials should be punished without mercy. To this end it is heartening to see that the kiln chief and several other employees involved in this atrocity were charged with murder, illegal detention and forced labor during the ongoing trial on July 4. Swift justice is one of the preconditions to wipe out such social evils and create harmony.