【Podcast】反思毕节悲剧

The deaths of four children in an apparent group suicide has highlighted the plight of China's so-called "left-behind" children, referring to a generation of youngsters left at home by migrant worker parents. Four siblings living near the city of Bijie in Guizhou Province were found dead after drinking pesticide on June 9. Officials said the children lived alone for years. In a letter to his parents, the oldest child wrote, "I know you are good to me, but it is time for me to go. I swore I would not live beyond 15 years, and death has been my dream for years." The tragedy has highlighted the effects of mass labor migration, and the ongoing barriers in the country's strict household registration system known as hukou, for migrant workers. Municipal services such as healthcare and education are tied to such residency permits. Laborers moving from rural areas to cities often face huge hurdles in acquiring an urban hukou, and so they leave their children in their hometowns where they can still receive schooling. Often, youngsters are left with elderly grandparents or with other relatives, but in some cases they are forced to fend for themselves. Bijie is, unfortunately, no stranger to this type of tragedy. In 2012, five homeless boys in another village under the city's administration were found dead in a trash container. Investigators said the youths started a fire to keep warm, but died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Guizhou Province is one of the poorest in China. Over six million of its people work outside the province, and official statistics say that 1.16 million children have been left behind. Experts say that the emergence of rabid urbanization, while extremely beneficial for cities, has also depleted resources in rural regions and led to poorer conditions for the children left behind. "Over the past several years, cities have been grabbing more resources from rural areas, from labor to land," an official said. "Rural society is withering." A solution was offered by the director of Growing Home, who suggested that authorities establish a mechanism for tracking youngsters who live alone, while upping mental health services from social groups and schools. And, finally, the director said that it is crucial that more money be invested in rural development, especially in education, to help close the gap between rural and urban opportunities. For Caixin Online, this is Samuel Liu. 毕节四名儿童服农药自杀后，毕节市七星关区教育部门多名领导被免职，四名死亡儿童的结对帮扶教师杨小琴受到相应纪律处分。 公益组织歌路营常年在一线对留守儿童和寄宿生进行心理干预服务，总干事杜爽向财新记者表达了她对于这种处理的不满：“老师只是替罪羊。” 杜爽还是中国心理学会注册心理咨询师，有着18年青少年心理工作经验。她指出，除了极端个案，更要关注的是非极端个案的心理健康问题。然而现状却是，“除了极端的，其他的都无暇关心。” 贵州省官方数据显示，贵州目前有630万农民工在外省打工，留守儿童数量116万。据全国妇联2013年发布的调查报告，贵州省有超过40%的农村儿童处于留守状态。 全国范围内，留守儿童逾6000万。“我最担心的，是6000万留守儿童中的205万独居儿童。他们随时可能酿成第二个毕节悲剧，”她说。