Left-behind children in China

Rapid economic development throughout the world has caused an rich-poor gap that has forced millions of workers to emigrate from rural areas to cities. This has caused millions of children to be left behind in rural areas under the care of relatives, mostly grandparents with little or no education, family friends, or ability to take care of themselves. Often, the caretakers do not have the physical ability, financial means, or knowledge needed to take care of these children. This causes these children to suffer developmental issues, have increased vulnerability to becoming a victim of human trafficking, become involved in criminal activities, or become depressed, which often leads to suicide. In China, there are 61 million children; 40% are under age 5. 70% of these left-behind children in China do not get to see their parents annually.

One NGO that helps left-behind children is Global Children's Vision.

Further reading

• Stack, Megan K. (29 September 2010), "China raising a generation of left-behind children", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 20 July 2011 
• http://www.globalchildrensvision.org/blog/