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Neglectful parents of "left-behind" children to be legally punished

Xinhua, February 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

Parents of "left-behind" children -- those under the age of 16 whose parents work away from home -- will be legally punished if they neglect their parental duties, a civil affairs official said on Friday.

Zou Ming, vice minister of civil affairs, said at a news briefing of the State Council that those who evade their parental duties or abuse or abandon their children left behind in the countryside will face consequences including education, punishment for public security violations, legal investigations or loss of child custody.

Zou cited a recent guideline by the State Council on the protection of "left-behind" children, saying some parents rarely go home to visit their children or even contact them, inflicting serious damage to their children's physical and psychological well-being.

Their conduct not only violates family ethics, but may also break the law in cases where consequences are grave, Zou said.

The guideline has made clear the principle that parents play important and irreplaceable roles in caring for and educating their children, Zou said.

More than 60 million children are considered left-behind, and lack of proper arrangements for many has led to a number of tragedies, such as the suicides last year of four children in southwest China's Guizhou Province. Endit