我國將首次摸清留守兒童底數 總數在1億左右

Song Yinghui, a professor at Beijing Normal University, estimated at a seminar in Tianjin on Saturday that over 60 million children are left in rural areas while their parents work in cities and 36 million children are unregistered floating population, meaning they are left living in one city by parents who work in another.

上週六，北京師範大學教授宋穎慧在天津某研討會上表示，中國農村有六千萬名留守兒童，其父母在城市工作，還有3600名兒童是沒有戶籍登記的浮動人羣。

Song concluded that some 100 million "left-behind children" now exist in China, "posing a great challenge to social management." The number greatly surpasses the previous estimate of 61 million.

宋教授表示，中國留守兒童目前已經達到1億人，給社會管理帶來了巨大挑戰。留守兒童的數字已經遠遠超過了先前預期的6100萬人。

Ni Chunxia, an official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs who also attended Saturday's seminar, did not immediately endorse the number, but said the country will conduct its very first comprehensive survey on "left-behind children" this year to find out the exact number and how big a problem the government needs to tackle.

中國民政部官員倪春夏也出席了週六的研討會，他當時沒有贊同這個數字，但是他表示，中國將針對留守兒童做一次全面的調查，來弄清楚真正的數量，並且規劃出政府應該怎樣去應對這個嚴重的問題。

In the last decade, the phenomenon has become much more prevalent. China has become increasingly urbanized as a result of the reform and opening-up process. People often leave their children behind with parents or other relatives either due to high living costs or household registration restrictions that limit their children from enrolling in urban schools or seeing a doctor.

十多年前，這個現象就已經變得普遍起來。隨着中國改革開放的進程，中國城市化的程度更高。由於高額的生活成本以及城市對戶籍的限制，使得孩子無法在當地入學或者看醫生，很多人不得不把孩子留給自己的父母或者其他親屬照料。

Multiple surveys conducted by scholars and NGOs in China have shown that "left-behind children" are more at risk of being physically or sexually abused and of committing suicide. They tend to underperform in school and lag behind in emotional development. Evidence has also suggested that they are more likely to exhibit criminal behavior as they grow up.

中國的一些學者和非政府組織進行了大量的調查，調查顯示，留守兒童很容易遭受身體虐待，性騷擾甚至自殺。留守兒童一般在學校表現不佳，心理成長落後於他人。證據顯示，留守兒童長大成人後很可能實施犯罪行爲。

In February, China's State Council released a circular that said that the government aims to significantly reduce the number of such children by 2020. The document has for the first time appointed the Ministry of Civil Affairs to lead the effort.

二月，中國國務院發表文章表示，政府將於2020年前大幅度降低留守兒童的數量。該文件首次指明讓民政部領導指導此事。

Qi Xuesen, director general of China Social Welfare Foundation, said the 2020 target is in line with China's poverty alleviation target in the 13th Five-Year Plan.

中國社會福利基金會局長齊學森表示，降低留守兒童的2020年計劃和十三五規劃期間中國的脫貧計劃相輔相成。

But other experts have warned that the "left-behind children" problem should not be confused with poverty.

但是其他專家警告稱，留守兒童的問題不應該和貧困問題有什麼衝突。

"'Left-behind children' don't necessarily suffer economic woes but rather psychological ones. The poorest families we encounter are those whose parents are not migrant workers and who choose to stay in the villages," Liu Xinyu, founder of On the Road to School, an NGO which provides financial and psychological help to "left-behind children," told the Global Times.

“留守兒童不一定遭受經濟的困窘，但是一定受到了心理方面的創傷。反而在最貧困的家庭，那些父母是留在農村陪孩子，而沒有去城市務工，”非政府組織“上學的路上”的創始人劉欣雨說道。他們的組織負責爲留守兒童提供經濟上和心理上的幫助。

Liu hailed the growing government effort but said that treating the issue needs sustained levels of social resources and support. "It's like treating diabetes. You have to control the insulin level on a daily basis and accept the fact that it cannot be immediately cured. The 'left-behind children' phenomenon exists due to deeper economic and social reasons," Liu said.

劉女士高度讚揚了政府爲解決留守兒童做出的努力，並且說道解決留守兒童問題需要持續的社會資源以及幫助。她說：“解決留守兒童問題就像治療糖尿病一樣。你需要把胰島素控制在一個有限的日均水準，並且接受糖尿病不會立即被醫治好的事實。留守兒童問題根源在於更深層次的經濟和社會因素。”