Fewer left behind: China outlines plans to better protect 61m rural children fending for themselves
State Council unveils proposals to address plight of migrant workers’ children in the countryside but one advocate says it’s too little, too late
The central government has vowed to improve the lot of the millions of children “left behind” in rural areas by their parents and put new systems in place to safeguard their rights over the next five years.
But one child welfare advocate described the proposals released by the State Council on Sunday as too long in coming and toothless, saying the policies would not be legally binding.
An estimated 61 million children have been left behind to fend for themselves while their parents live and work in other parts of the country, usually in more affluent manufacturing hubs such as the Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas.
The State Council’s proposals are designed to cut that number, in part by urging parents to take their children with them or arrange adult supervision to ensure that children younger than 16 do not live alone.
The proposals, dated February 4, also outline a more active role for schools, community authorities and other government-affiliated organisations in monitoring the welfare of these children.
They would provide services and support, and also report cases where children may have been abused or have gone missing.