Zhang Zhigang was seven when his parents left their hometown to
work in the city. He has hardly seen his parents since then. Zhang
is now 15.
Zhang is not alone. He is but one of the millions of children
who get "left behind" in the villages when their parents move to
the cities in search of work and a better life.
Zhang, and many children like him, have attracted the attention
of both government officials and social development experts. More
than 100 participants at a high-profile seminar last week called on
the Chinese government, social organizations and the media to
devote more attention and to do more to help children like
Zhang.
Huang Qingyi, vice-chairwomen of the All-China Women's
Federation (
ACWF), said that society at large is not fully aware of the
importance and urgency of the problem.
The two-day seminar that was held in Zhengzhou, capital of
central China's Henan
Province, was the first high-profile meeting dedicated to the
issue. It was attended by officials from both the central
government and provincial government of Henan and hosted by the
ACWF, the country's largest women's organization, and the China
Family Culture Research Institute.
The seminar marked a fresh effort by the two organizers to
highlight a problem that has been ignored for more than two
decades. The issue was dragged back into the spotlight following
the suicide of a 13-year-old girl on February 19 this year.
The girl, A Chun (not her real name), lived in a remote village
in central China's Anhui
Province, one of China's major grain producing areas. For A
Chun, a fifth grade pupil at a local primary school, life after
school was too hard to bear.
There were no cartoons on TV, toys or snacks for this little
girl. There was no care or love from her parents. Her parents had
left her and her younger brother in the care of grandparents, along
with some cousins.
Her parents and two uncles left their homes to work in Wenzhou,
a coastal city more than 1,000 km away in east China's Zhejiang
Province.
Loneliness was just one of her woes. As the oldest child in the
brood, A Chun had to help care for the other five children. In
addition to school homework, she had chores to do each day like
fetch water, cook and do the laundry.
When A Chun felt that she had enough, she decided to take her
own life. On the evening of February 19th, ten days after the
traditional Chinese lunar New Year (
Spring Festival), the most important holiday on the Chinese
calendar featuring family reunion, A Chun committed suicide. During
the festival holidays, her parents didn't come back home.?
A Chun's suicide sent shockwaves across the country.
This problem of abandoned children has given rise to a new
buzzword that is slowly gaining popularity in the media: "Liu Shou"
or "left behind" children.
Duan Chengrong, a professor with the Population Research
Institute of Renmin
University of China based in Beijing, speaking at the seminar,
said that there were more than 20 million children in the
countryside who were growing up without either one or both
parents.
Official figures indicate there are at least 13 million migrant
workers, who drive the country's rapidly growing economy. They
typically fill the lower-paid positions as construction workers,
factory workers, waiters or waitresses, domestic workers and
drivers.
But leaving their children behind has had a negative impact on
the children's performance at school, health and personalities,
said Professor Duan.
"Some children were found to be unsociable, depressed and
reluctant to take part in group activities at school," said
Duan.
A survey conducted in six villages in Anhui Province recently
showed that of the 1,180 students polled, about 74 percent, or 868
students, had at least one parent who was a migrant worker. Some 31
percent, or 363 students, were living without both their
parents.
The survey indicated that nearly 60 percent of the students
polled had psychological problems. About 30 percent of the 1,180
children said they "loathed" their parents.
Professor Hao Maishou, a sociologist with the Academy of Social
Sciences of Tianjin, suggested that local governments play a bigger
role in helping the "liu shou", especially in the area of
education.
"Children are left behind in the countryside mainly because they
are not allowed to receive education in cities," said Hao, speaking
at the seminar. "City governments and educational departments
should shoulder the responsibility of giving educational
opportunities to children from rural areas."
He also suggested that local governments do more to train
guardians to improve their ability to communicate and interact with
their wards.
Huang, of the women's federation, urged people from all walks of
life to do their bit in creating a better and healthier environment
for the "liu shou". Only in this way can China ensure that children
"left behind" aren't left out.?
(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2005)