Millions of children left behind in China

22 millions – even 58 accordingy with some sources - is the estimated number of children left behind in China.

The increasing phenomenon in the Asia Giants is due primarly to the leaving of rural areas of parents looking for a job in urban areas. Since 2007 UNICEF is researching the extent of rural-to-urban migration in China, trying to size the CLB phenomenon in the Country. From those studies was born the Documentary “Children Left Behind”

In February 2012 (20.22 Feb.), the University of Nottingham Ningbo China organized the International EU-China Civil Society Dialogue on Left- Behind Children (here the Program). 64 participants from Chinese and European NGOs, universities, and supporting organisations engaged in information exchange and joint action planning.

Two Network’s Members - Alternative Sociale Association and the Children’s Forum of Latvia – were there!

Europeans participants from Italy, Latvia, Romania, Belgium, UK, Germany and France engaged in three days of networking with Chinese counterparts from Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Ruian, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Yunnan, and Zunyi.

The dialogue forum was facilitated by 15 student volunteers providing personal interpreting services and acting as student ambassadors of the dialogue forum. Mobile journalists from the student association NUTS China conducted nine in-depth video interviews with dialogue participants and will produce three video reports.

Two follow-up projects have been identified which will between European and Chinese civil society organizations in the field of research and awareness raising on Left-Behind Children in Europe and China

Learn more from the final Report of the EU-China Dialogue.

Lin Zhibin – Independent researcher - shares in a VIDEO stories from left-behind children recorded by citizen journalists Hermann Aubie, Kanako Kuramitsu, Ning Ninghu, and Dragon Film Factory during the EU-China Civil Society Dialogue on Left-Behind Children. She reflects on the societal and policy changes which need to take place in order to protect the dignity and well-being of migrating families.