No abducted children have been identified yet by an online campaign urging people to post snapshots of child beggars, the Ministry of Public Security said on Tuesday on its micro blog.

The ministry, commenting on the campaign for the first time, said that people should be careful when posting photos of children. It added that their compassion is welcome, but that they also need to consider the rights of the children in the photos.

The online initiative to reduce child begging was launched on a micro blog in January 2011 by Yu Jianrong, a professor of rural development at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Yu said on Wednesday that the effort was not only aimed at saving abducted children, but that it also aims to stop child begging at large.

According to laws on the protection of the rights of minors, it is illegal even for a biological parent to force a child to beg, Yu said.

Many Internet users have posted photos of hundreds of child beggars on the streets and in public transportation across the country.

However, some lawyers and members of the media voiced concern over the appropriateness of posting the images online without the permission of a custodian.

Yu's recommended that people call the police first, and take the photos later, when they see people suspected of begging with abducted children.