Migrant children play tug of war at a summer camp in Binzhou city, East China’s Shandong Province, on July 30, 2024. Photo: IC

China has rolled out its first state-level action plan on the care and protection of migrant children, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) announced on Tuesday. 

According to the MCA, the action plan, jointly rolled out by 21 departments, requires local authorities to create a conducive environment for the healthy growth and comprehensive development of migrant children through measures such as conducting surveys, improving protection measures and enhancing care services, China Central Television reported on Tuesday. 

According to the action plan, local authorities should conduct monitoring work for migrant children, which include children under the age of 16 who have left their place of household registration with one or both parents or other guardians to live or reside in a different county for more than six months (excluding those living or residing between urban central districts within the same city). 

A monitoring and screening system targeting migrant children will be set up to offer help and regular visits to those facing difficulties in family life, physical disabilities, lack of guardianship, homelessness, psychological or behavioral issues, as well as those seeking support, in a bid to safeguard their legitimate rights.

For migrant children identified through monitoring who face family hardships or lack of guardianship, a special care service record should be established. Regular visits should be conducted to provide care and protection, ensuring the protection of the children's legal rights.

The action plan also specifies the key tasks in the care and protection of migrant children including promoting the basic public services such as equal education and medical services to migrant children as that of the children from the place of residence. 

The action plan also establishes a basic checklist of services that should be accessible to migrant children in their places of residence. The list details 19 specific items about the care and services to migrant children in terms of six aspects including nursing, education, medical care, accommodation and development. 

China will beef up efforts to establish a grassroots network for the care and protection of migrant children with a focus on building city and county-level institutions for the assistance and protection of such minors, as well as the establishment of stations in townships and neighborhoods for their protection, according to Xinhua News Agency. 

Migrant children can only feel a sense of belonging by integrating into the local community when they arrive in unfamiliar cities. The action plan requires local authorities to mobilize businesses, professional social organizations, social workers, and volunteers to promote the integration of migrant children into urban life through activities such as introducing city cultures and familiarizing them with the community environment, CCTV reported.

According to Guo Yuqiang, director of the child welfare bureau of the MCA, the phenomenon of migrant children emerged due to rapid economic and social development and increased population mobility. According to Guo, the action plan for the first time included migrant children in the scope of national care and protection. 

Global Times