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Child protection crucial for China's future

By Leng Baoqing: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, July 9, 2013

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[By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn]

We need to do more for the 61 million left-behind children in rural areas whose parents are migrant workers living in far-away cities. In the recent spate of children molestation cases, many of the victims are left-behind children. Through their diligent yet underpaid efforts, China's 200 million migrant workers contribute greatly to the rising of the country's economy and they leave behind 61 million children who lack the love and care of their parents. Such a phenomenon can be described as a growing pain brought about by China's development and urbanization, and we see the same thing happening in many other countries. This does not mean, however, that we can simply accept it as an inevitable trend which cannot be address through improved policies.

My hope is that the government and legislative body will do more for the left-behind children in concert with contributions from volunteers and non-governmental organizations. On a micro level, we can establish a system of accountability for local government officials. On a macro level, the state should reduce the volume of overseas travel, receptions and official cars for government officials and change the "GDP-oriented" conception of development to ensure that the process of urbanization proceeds in a stable fashion. We must also allow more migrant workers to bring their children into the city and ensure that these children can be educated in the city.

Hu Shih, a famous Chinese historian and philosopher once said that the first standard by which to judge a nation's level of civilization is to see how it treats its children. If development is China's overriding priority, then Chinese society should work to ensure that each child has the chance to live a safe and decent life.

The author is a current affairs commentator.

This article was first published in Chinese and translated by Li Shen.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn

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