A solution to the problem of left-behind kids

Xinhua News Agency:

The about 60 million left-behind children in China are now a major social issue. For lack of care, love and family education, many of these children can go astray.

Providing care and education for left-behind children is the best way to protect their rights and interests, and it is a good way of preventing them from turning into juvenile delinquents. In this regard, the overall arrangement made by the State Council meeting is of great significance.

Parents are responsible for educating their children as well as inculcating social values into them. But the government should also play its role: It should put in place a set of mechanisms to detect clues to potential tragedies and take measures to prevent them when parents are unable to fulfill their familial responsibilities because of unavoidable circumstances.

The government should also create the right environment for the development of forces that specialize in legal, psychological and social work to offer help to left-behind children and to protect them against abuse. And for parents who deliberately neglect their familial responsibilities, the government should take measures to hold them accountable.