I have a few more days here before I return to the U.S. Josh has been working, and I have spent this week trying to read, write, and research as much as possible, looking out at the buildings from our 6th floor window.
But, yesterday, I got in a depressing internet research spiral which will make this post not funny or observational.
First of all, there are a lot of depressing things about China. The weird smells, mystery puddles, and litter are funny when you imagine me trying to leap over them, but they're also sad. Josh has to keep reminding me that it is a developing country, and the population is unfathomable. We have been reading English-language magazines here, such as The World of Chinese, that frequently feature articles on development and Westernization. I shared some of the problems in the Pollution & Population post. The following is directly related to urban development and population:
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I forget where I read this information first: in a newspaper on a plane, on Twitter--I can't remember. But I came across the story of four children in rural China committing suicide. They were the children of migrant parents who had left to work in the city. They left the siblings, ages five to fourteen, alone for almost a year. They called, sometimes visited, and sent money. The children drank pesticide.
These children are, I learned, but a tiny handful of some 60 million "left behind children" of rural China. Children whose parents (one or both) moved for work and left the children with grandparents, neighbors, or to fend for themselves. 60 million is about one-fifth of the population of all the children of China and about one-fifth of the entire population of the U.S.
One article cited that 70% of children in rural China suffer from anxiety and/or depression and most do not graduate ninth grade.
Why are they abandoned? Many of the jobs rural Chinese people seek and can find (that pay more than traditional farming) are in factories which provide employee housing. The housing does not allow for children. Also, the hours are incomprehensible. Or, if they find another kind of job in a big city, there are residential rules that do not allow for children to be moved from one area to another. They can't register for school without proper documentation, so the parents leave them at home. Then, even worse, hundreds of rural schools are being closed, so some children walk an hour or more to and from school.
I kept reading and reading, sucked into a web of repeated information. All of the articles seemed to say the same thing, citing the same sources. I tried to find organizations that support children in this situation (it seems to be getting a lot of media attention), and found only one based out of Atlanta that gives pretty much zero information on what they do, nor can you earmark donations for that cause specifically. Josh said that it is difficult for non-government organizations (NGOs) to work or even exist in China, especially foreign philanthropic ones. After the most recent suicide, a government official is quoted as saying something like this "should not happen again."
That's really all I could find.
I am using an internet VPN which puts my IP address as Los Angeles, so I am/should be able to access anything on the internet, so I don't think blocked sites are the problem.
The whole thing makes me feel anxious all over, and also helpless, and a little obsessive. I wish I could easily toss some money somewhere, though I don't know how helpful that is, really.
Even though it is depressing and awful, I do recommend looking through these articles, especially the pictures. Students: I think it will be especially informative and eye-opening for you to look through this as well.
References:
- 'Left-Behind' Children Need Our Attention Now, Caixin, July 2015 -- One of the most recent pieces I've found. Offers a succinct explanation and call to action.
- Left-Behind Children of China's Migrant Workers Bear Grown-Up Burdens, Wall Street Journal, Jan. 2014 -- This one has photos that focus on one family as well as statistical details in the article itself.
- China orders inquiry into deaths of children who swallowed pesticide, The Guardian, June 2015 -- Shares the most recent death case as well as photos of the house where the children lived.
- Adult Supervision Required, Slate, May 2015 -- A short, readable article.
- China's Left Behind, World Policy Institute, Summer 2013 -- A long history with a story from a documentary. Also includes examples of income and cost of living in different areas.
- The village and the girl, BBC News, June 2015 -- A beautiful photo essay including a ten year report on a woman and her family as her village turned into a city.
- Global Health Action -- The only nonprofit I could find with activity directly for this problem.
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