China to Launch Campaign to Bring Runaway Children Home

China has launched a nationwide campaign to search for runaway children, offer shelter to them and send them back home so as to ensure that they are able to resume normal lives and develop healthy minds.

However, experts warn that a lack of parent care and understanding is one of the main reasons why children run away from home in the first place. Protection shelters cannot solve the problem of the troubled children.

CRI reporter Wei Tong has more.

Under this program, street orphans will be placed in the care of welfare institutions or foster families if their guardians cannot be found. It also plans to combat offenses involving minors, including child abduction and trafficking.

Protection shelters for runaway children, of which there are one to one and half million in China, are scattered across the country. Wang Lihong, Director of one such shelter in Beijing says they have taken in more than 40 runaway or homeless children.

"Many children here have suffered from domestic violence. Some were deserted or abused by their parents. Others have resisted authority or have disobeyed their family. We also have some boys from poor families who have begged for food on the streets."

The shelter not only provides these children with daily care but also basic education.

However, Zhang Wenjuan, Deputy Director of The Beijing Children's Legal Aid & Research Center, argues that blame should be placed upon the parents rather than the children themselves, because parents are expected to set a good example for their children and lead them to develop healthy minds.

"We need to understand that the vagrant children are victims too. They would not have run away from home or committed the crimes if they were born into a happy family. Their parents and family should assume the major responsibility."

Zhang Wenjuan adds that government assistance is also necessary.

"Once a child is orphaned, the government and community have the obligation to set up a new family for the orphan. If he or she suffers maltreatment, authorities need to intervene and bring an end to the cruelty. Organizations need to be established in order to mediate family disputes or narrow the generation gap."

Zhang Wenjuan says that it is not advisable to keep relying on protection shelters to address the issue of runaway children. Investigation needs to be conducted into both children and their parents, so as to find the proper way to solve the problem.

For CRI, this is Wei Tong.