CHINA: 83 million children of migrant workers most vulnerable

Migration affects an estimated 83 million children in China, compromising one of the most vulnerable groups of children in the country, Dr. Hana Brixi, UNICEF China Office-in-Charge and chief of Social Policy and Economic Analysis said Friday, to mark Universal Children's Day, in Beijing.

"They face a higher risk of being trafficked for labor and sexual exploitation and are more vulnerable to abuse and violence,"Brixi said during the launch ceremony of the Chinese-version of the Report on the State of World's Children to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Brixi briefly outlined both the major achievements and remaining challenges for child rights in China.

In the past two decades, child survival and development have made steady progress, she said.

UN statistics show that the under-five mortality rate was reduced by 54 percent between 1990 and 2008, she said.

"But there are still challenges ahead,"Brixi said.

The infant mortality rates in the wealthiest Chinese provinces are almost five times higher than that in the poorest. Access to quality maternal and child health services is still much lower in the less developed rural areas, according to Brixi's speech.

The uneven economic advances and widening disparities across localities and population groups are to blame, she said.

This was echoed by Su Fengjie, deputy director-general, the office of the National Working Committee for Children and Women, who was also present at the event.

There are 310 million children under 18 years of age in China, and imbalanced economic and social development is the major barrier for the children getting fair access to health and education services, Su said in her remarks.

According to Brixi, among those who have migrated within China, an estimated 25 million are children under 18, while 58 million of them are left behind in rural areas as their parents seek work in cites.

In the interviews of about 100 children speaking different languages and in different ethnic backgrounds from around the world, nearly half of them said they wished to be lawyer or doctor after they grow up, according to a video presented at the ceremony.

"It's very encouraging to hear that. It indicates that the children want to help others. And they start to care the people and the world,"Brixi told the Global Times.

On the same day, more than 800 media organizations from 70 countries and regions launched a 24-hour relay broadcast for children's rights, according to event organizers.

The global media campaign, also called the "Global News Day for Children" program, was initiated by Xinhua News Agency and UNICEF to highlight the international media's role in helping improve children's living environments and promoting their healthy development.

Source: Global Times