2015年CRI 贵州毕节儿童自杀案揭露中国留守儿童困境

 

The four children, one older brother and three younger sisters, were living by themselves without any guardian¹ taking care of them.

Both parents had gone to Guangdong to search for work in different cities, making the four siblings³ "left-behind children."

The eldest⁴ son received money each month on a bank card his father gave him.

The local government had also provided the family with a minimum living allowance since 2012, and more than 3,500 yuan was left on the bank card.

Local authorities in Bijie city have also found 500 kg of stored corn and 25 kg of preserved meat inside their home afterwards.

Dai Derun, a local official says what the children really needs is supervision⁵.

"They basically don't have family members' care. Their parents didn't provide them enough care or love, and their grandparents are not around either. The kids end up being introverted and eccentric, hardly communicating with any of their neighbors. "

It is not yet clear how the tragedy happened and police still have not been able to get in touch with either parent.

China has at least 60 million children in rural areas who are left with relatives, usually grandparents.

According to a 2013 report released by the All-China Women's Federation⁶, nearly 2 million of them live alone.

Wang Zhenyao, head of the China Philanthropy Research Institution Beijing Normal University, says the government should make an effort to set up a system to improve and secure the treatment and welfare of left-behind children.

"It is not yet clear by law in our country about who's responsible for these left-behind children. We don't know who should be taking care of them under what kind of system or mechanism⁷. To any local government, simple policy making is far from enough. Without money, specialized⁸ facility, or professional staff, left-behind children's welfare won't be properly protected."

The government of Bijie City's Qixingguan District, which administers the village, has started a survey of "left-behind" children and asked education department, schools and village to keep a close eye on those children to prevent similar tragedies.

The "left-behind" children fall easy victim to such tragedies, victims of trafficking and suicide.

What's more, Wang Zhenyao from the China Philanthropy Research Institution says these children are more prone⁹ to psychological problems.

"According to my experience and years of study, what children need more is psychological care. They need us to watch out for their mental health by providing more love and care."

Media reports also revealed that the oldest sibling² from the tragedy in Guizhou has also suffered from domestic violence from his father.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

1 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

2 sibling   

n.同胞手足(指兄、弟、姐或妹)

参考例句：

• Many of us hate living in the shadows of a more successful sibling.我们很多人都讨厌活在更为成功的手足的阴影下。
• Sibling ravalry has been common in this family.这个家里，兄弟姊妹之间的矛盾很平常。

3 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

4 eldest   

adj.最年长的，最年老的

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

5 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

6 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

7 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

8 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

9 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。