Meeting the needs of children left behind by migrant parents – Governments are invited | General news

Governments were urged to take action to address the challenges posed by the growing number of children their parents leave behind to work outside their country.

Most developing countries face the phenomenon of "abandoned children", parents leaving their children to work in places or countries in which the economy is doing well.

During a presentation to the Youth Forum organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as part of the Ghana-Africa Conference on Population and Development organized by Ghana, Ms. Chuyi Shi of the College Nanhang Jincheng, China said abandoned children were vulnerable and the absence of their parents had a lot of negative effects on them.

Ms. Chuyi was one of six Chinese students from the Beifang International Education Group who participated in the forum and shared her ideas and experiences with her colleagues from other countries.

She noted that, like many developing countries, China also faces the challenge of children left behind.

Young adults

Ms. Chuyi said that more and more young adults are entering the cities to find work, most of them leaving their children in the countryside.

"Children who are in the pivotal period of their growth and development can not be guided by their parents. They therefore lack protection, love and encouragement when they are hurt or in trouble.

"A long separation from the parents is also at the root of many psychological problems, such as lack of self-confidence, parental resentment, lack of willingness to communicate with others or the fact to become irritable.

"They can not enjoy the same quality of life as other children and some do not receive quality education," she added.

Unfortunately, wages earned by parents are not enough to cover the living expenses of the entire family, she noted.

The government must help

Ms. Chuyi stressed the need for the government to take action to solve the problems of children left behind.

These should include psychological support, setting up social support organizations and quality education.

In addition, Ms. Chuyi said that governments need to create more local jobs so that parents can stay with their children.

To be responsible

Mr. Zhang Chi Zhang, a 20-year-old student from Harbin Guangsha College, China, said at the opening session that the forum offered a platform for young people from different countries to share their stories. ideas and their views on the problems that affect them. development.

He observed that young people now have opportunities to be empowered and challenged young people to use their power to change the world.

Mr. Zhang said that the objectives of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo, Egypt, in 1994, had helped to improve the education of girls, reduce the number of of child marriages and significantly reduce the number of teenage births in China.