论文部分内容阅读
In China， a huge amount of children have living parents who hardly see them throughout childhood. They are known as “orphans of the times” or more literally “left- behind children.”
Prior to International Children’s Day on June 1， a report showed the tally of left-behind children in China’s rural areas above 61 million and still growing. The report evoked wide concern for left-behind children.
A Dilemma for Migrant Workers
Left-behind children stay in rural villages so they can attend school while their parents migrate to cities for better employment opportunities. Typically， they spend little time with their parents， and are raised by grandparents or other relatives and friends of their parents.
For geographical and historical reasons， various regions of China are tremendously imbalanced in terms of economic development. As China’s overall economy accelerated， an enormous gap between urban and rural areas emerged. In these circumstances， great numbers of rural laborers swarm to cities as migrant workers. Many of them are couples unable to bring their children along due to school enrollment restrictions and meager living conditions.
Left-behind children have already become a massive group that cannot be neglected. According to the Report on Left-Behind Children in Rural Areas and Migrant Children in China released by All-China Women’s Federation （ACWF） on May 10， 2013， the country’s 61 million left-behind children in rural areas account for 37.7 percent of all rural children and 21.9 percent of total population of Chinese children. The majority of left-behind children live in major labor-supplying provinces such as Sichuan， Henan， Anhui， Guangdong， and Hunan. Those five account for 43.64 percent of the nation’s total left-behind children.
Abandoning their children to leave for work is a painful choice for migrant laborers. If they bring their children along， the kids face barriers and challenges in schooling due to the current hukou（household registration） system and often have difficulties adapting to urban life.
Growing Up with Regret
Lacking care and guidance from their parents， left-behind children grow up comparatively independently and with regrets. They are more vulnerable to accidental injuries due to a lack of supervision， and some are even targeted by criminals. Reports indicate that nearly half of Chinese children killed in accidents are those left unattended in their hometowns. Such children are also challenged psychologically. A survey shows that 57 percent of left-behind children suffer mental problems to different degrees. Due to long-term separation from their parents， the love felt by their luckier counterparts is substituted with depression， loneliness and introversion. Some may even feel abandoned， which becomes a great threat to their mental health and personal development. For this reason， it’s no surprise that left-behind children are more likely to become criminals as well as more vulnerable to mental disorders and moral abnormalities.
Most left-behind children inhabit poor rural areas with underdeveloped educational facilities， so schooling problems for left-behind children are glaring. Despite the fact that more than 90 percent of left-behind children can receive school education thanks to China’s nine-year compulsory education system， the lack of family education still makes them lag behind kids living with parents. Statistics show that one third of left-behind children are in custody of elderly， less-educated grandparents who have no ability to help them in schoolwork. In these circumstances， a large number of them become weary of schooling， and miss class or drop out completely. A survey conducted by the Population and Development Studies Center in Renmin University of China shows that the middle-school retention rate drops sharply for left-behind children. For instance， only 88 percent of left-behind children at age 14 remain in school.
Deserving a Brighter Future
Left-behind children cannot be only considered a family problem. Rather， this issue concerns society at-large because this group will greatly affect the future of the nation.
In recent years， thanks to efforts from the government， charities， and volunteers， issues concerning left-behind children’s mental health， upbringing， and education are getting attention. However， the population of left-behind children continues growing. Ye Jingzhong， vice dean of Humanities and Development College of China Agricultural University， believes there is no easy fix for the problem now. “The issue of left-behind children is a result of China’s economic transition，” he explains. “Migrant workers cannot all return home because they would lose their sources of income. Meanwhile， it is impossible for them to bring their children to cities because the barriers between rural and urban areas limit the opportunities for their children to enroll in urban schools.” Perhaps the best solution is to encourage farmers to stay home through measures that balance the tremendous gap between rural and urban incomes. If they can earn enough to support their family at home， farmers will not need to leave， and their children can grow up with parents.
“It’s particularly important to lure migrant workers back to their hometowns through accelerating construction of the new countryside and small cities and towns，” opines Wu Xinping， vice director of the ACWF Department for Children. “But the government also needs play a central role in helping migrant workers bring their children to cities while improving legislation， protection and long-term mechanisms benefiting such children.”
Against the backdrop of China’s development in the 21st Century， most agree that issues surrounding left-behind children will persist for some time. Still， this group of children deserves brighter future prospects than the current situation affords them.
Prior to International Children’s Day on June 1， a report showed the tally of left-behind children in China’s rural areas above 61 million and still growing. The report evoked wide concern for left-behind children.
A Dilemma for Migrant Workers
Left-behind children stay in rural villages so they can attend school while their parents migrate to cities for better employment opportunities. Typically， they spend little time with their parents， and are raised by grandparents or other relatives and friends of their parents.
For geographical and historical reasons， various regions of China are tremendously imbalanced in terms of economic development. As China’s overall economy accelerated， an enormous gap between urban and rural areas emerged. In these circumstances， great numbers of rural laborers swarm to cities as migrant workers. Many of them are couples unable to bring their children along due to school enrollment restrictions and meager living conditions.
Left-behind children have already become a massive group that cannot be neglected. According to the Report on Left-Behind Children in Rural Areas and Migrant Children in China released by All-China Women’s Federation （ACWF） on May 10， 2013， the country’s 61 million left-behind children in rural areas account for 37.7 percent of all rural children and 21.9 percent of total population of Chinese children. The majority of left-behind children live in major labor-supplying provinces such as Sichuan， Henan， Anhui， Guangdong， and Hunan. Those five account for 43.64 percent of the nation’s total left-behind children.
Abandoning their children to leave for work is a painful choice for migrant laborers. If they bring their children along， the kids face barriers and challenges in schooling due to the current hukou（household registration） system and often have difficulties adapting to urban life.
Growing Up with Regret
Lacking care and guidance from their parents， left-behind children grow up comparatively independently and with regrets. They are more vulnerable to accidental injuries due to a lack of supervision， and some are even targeted by criminals. Reports indicate that nearly half of Chinese children killed in accidents are those left unattended in their hometowns. Such children are also challenged psychologically. A survey shows that 57 percent of left-behind children suffer mental problems to different degrees. Due to long-term separation from their parents， the love felt by their luckier counterparts is substituted with depression， loneliness and introversion. Some may even feel abandoned， which becomes a great threat to their mental health and personal development. For this reason， it’s no surprise that left-behind children are more likely to become criminals as well as more vulnerable to mental disorders and moral abnormalities.
Most left-behind children inhabit poor rural areas with underdeveloped educational facilities， so schooling problems for left-behind children are glaring. Despite the fact that more than 90 percent of left-behind children can receive school education thanks to China’s nine-year compulsory education system， the lack of family education still makes them lag behind kids living with parents. Statistics show that one third of left-behind children are in custody of elderly， less-educated grandparents who have no ability to help them in schoolwork. In these circumstances， a large number of them become weary of schooling， and miss class or drop out completely. A survey conducted by the Population and Development Studies Center in Renmin University of China shows that the middle-school retention rate drops sharply for left-behind children. For instance， only 88 percent of left-behind children at age 14 remain in school.
Deserving a Brighter Future
Left-behind children cannot be only considered a family problem. Rather， this issue concerns society at-large because this group will greatly affect the future of the nation.
In recent years， thanks to efforts from the government， charities， and volunteers， issues concerning left-behind children’s mental health， upbringing， and education are getting attention. However， the population of left-behind children continues growing. Ye Jingzhong， vice dean of Humanities and Development College of China Agricultural University， believes there is no easy fix for the problem now. “The issue of left-behind children is a result of China’s economic transition，” he explains. “Migrant workers cannot all return home because they would lose their sources of income. Meanwhile， it is impossible for them to bring their children to cities because the barriers between rural and urban areas limit the opportunities for their children to enroll in urban schools.” Perhaps the best solution is to encourage farmers to stay home through measures that balance the tremendous gap between rural and urban incomes. If they can earn enough to support their family at home， farmers will not need to leave， and their children can grow up with parents.
“It’s particularly important to lure migrant workers back to their hometowns through accelerating construction of the new countryside and small cities and towns，” opines Wu Xinping， vice director of the ACWF Department for Children. “But the government also needs play a central role in helping migrant workers bring their children to cities while improving legislation， protection and long-term mechanisms benefiting such children.”
Against the backdrop of China’s development in the 21st Century， most agree that issues surrounding left-behind children will persist for some time. Still， this group of children deserves brighter future prospects than the current situation affords them.