System Needed to Help 'Left-behind Girls'

An expert is calling for establishing a systemic mechanism to help left-behind girls in China.

"The probability of left-behind girls suffering sexual assault is high. The problem has become one of the main social issues in China," said Lu Shizhen, vice-chairperson of the China Youth and Children Research Association.

In August, a 15-year-old girl and her 13-year-old brother were killed at home in Zhongxin village of Bijie, Guizhou Province. Police found that the girl was sexually assaulted before she was brutally murdered. Her parents were migrant workers away from home and the siblings are considered left-behind children.

Last year, 10 villagers were sentenced to jail for repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in Guangxi Province. She is also a left-behind girl.

"Left-behind girls affect their children, China's next generation, which is a serious problem needing more attention," Lu said, adding that the predicaments of left-behind girls affect China's society, children's and women's development, as well as the nation's future.

"The number is striking," Lu said, citing a report in Guangzhou Daily that said 2,500 girls were sexually assaulted in three years, nearly half of them under 14.

"Left-behind girls have a stronger need for family than boys. Psychologically, girls are more sensitive. Family situations such as a mother's absence would be more harmful to girls than boys," said Lu, adding that left-behind girls also shoulder more housework at home.

According to a report by the All-China Women's Federation in 2012, China has about 28 million left-behind girls.

"It is essential to establish a legal policy system for left-behind girls, and also build a mechanism of government-led and social efforts to guarantee enough investment," she said.

Lu encourages paying special attention to the living conditions of left-behind girls, intensifying efforts on some aspects such as strengthening the legal guardianship and supervision systems, establishing the care and assistance system of left-behind girls, improving the rural left-behind girls' education protection systems, and increasing rural public library, cultural clubs, sports and other public facilities constructions.

Lu delivered a speech at the International Forum on Women about left-behind girls in Beijing on October 14.

The forum, jointly founded by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme, gathers more than 100 women leaders in various fields to discuss women's development globally.

International organizations have also made efforts in helping China's left-behind girls. Some fund girls directly, and some help them by assisting their mothers and families.

To encourage women from the Yi ethnic group in Yunnan province to stay at home, taking care of children rather than going out as migrant workers, the United Nations Development Programme conducted a project to open an international market for women from the Yi ethnic group to sell weavings.

"We are not specifically tackling China's left-behind girls at present. However, our livelihood projects in rural areas do alleviate this issue to a certain extent as income growth and improved job prospects created by our work have incentivized migrant workers to return home and reunite with their left-behind children," said Gu Qing, leader of the Poverty, Equity and Governance team of the program in China.

Women from the Yi ethnic group in Yunnan Province have fine weaving skills, but as an inland region with inferior economic status, people there do not know how to take advantage of their skills, especially women.

"The program aims to help women from ethnic minority groups use their traditional skills and crafts to improve their livelihoods and socio-economic status while preserving their cultural identity," she said, adding that the assistance includes providing training to improve business management and entrepreneurial skills, and supporting the creation of microloan schemes to finance business expansion.

"The objective is that the women we work with will be able to bring their products — including embroidery, handicrafts and clothes — to new, larger markets, bringing in increased revenue and new business opportunities," Gu said.

"This higher income can improve livelihoods and the status of women in the community and family."

"Women can gain decent income by weaving and selling the products at home. Instead of being migrant workers in big cities, they can take care of the family and children simultaneously," she said.

The increased employment opportunities gradually attracted migrant workers to return to their hometowns, enabling 464 female ethnic minority migrant workers to reunite with 382 left-behind children.

Other nonprofit organizations including UN Women also launched programs to help left-behind girls.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)