Some left-behind children sleep in dorms in their kindergartens because their parents leave them to work in the city. (Photo : Reuters)
China's central government has expressed its intention to improve the care systems for children left-behind in rural areas by their parents who migrate to the cities to work, according to a high-level government meeting held on Wednesday, reported China Daily.
A system will be set up to cater to the needs of left-behind children by reporting on them, intervening and offering assistance according to need, all with the goal of preventing them from becoming victims of criminal activity.
The decisions were made during a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.
Part of the meeting also discussed new measures that will be adopted in order to reduce the number of left-behind children by encouraging their parents not to migrate away from them in favor of either permanently moving to cities with their children or working closer to their rural homes.
"Caring for and protecting millions of children left behind in rural areas, and allowing them to grow safely and in good health is the mutual responsibility of families, government and the society as a whole," said a statement issued after the State Council executive meeting.
It also said that each party, including the government, village committee and school, must carry out its duties. It also encouraged charity and social organizations to participate to improve the system.
There are currently around 60 million left-behind children in China.
In recent years, the media has called attention on numerous tragedies involving left-behind children, gaining sympathy for their plight.
In Bijie, Guizhou Province, four children of absent migrant workers committed suicide at home in 2015. They were aged 5 to 13.
Also last year in Bijie, a 15-year-old girl and her 13-year-old brother were killed at their home, while their parents were away in the city for work. Police discovered that the girl was sexually assaulted before being murdered.
In 2014, 10 villagers in Guangxi Province were imprisoned for repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a left-behind 13-year-old girl.
