China renews efforts to assist migrant and left-behind minors

Central authorities have called for the better tracking of distressed migrant children — those who move from rural to urban areas with their parents — and stronger guarantees of equal access to public services, such as education and healthcare in cities, ahead of International Children's Day, observed annually on June 1.

The move comes as migrant children have surpassed left-behind children — minors who remain in rural hometowns while their parents work in cities — as the main group affected by China's internal migration. Official data from the 2020 national census showed that the number of migrant children age 17 and under stood at 71 million, nearly double the figure recorded in 2010, and exceeded the 66.9 million left-behind children nationwide.

The directives were outlined in a circular jointly released on Saturday by 27 central government departments, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Education.