Social welfare can help left-behind kids in rural areas

The recent deaths of four left-behind children in Bijie, Southwest China's Guizhou province, have shocked the nation. But instead of only trying to resolve the direct causes of the tragedy, the authorities should also address the deep social problems that lead to such tragedies.

President Xi Jinping has recently reiterated the importance of poverty relief during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), which in fact points out the right direction to eradicate the root cause of the sufferings of the left-behind children. Moreover, the government needs to invest more in a proper social welfare system to prevent and cope with such risks.

The lack of parental care and guidance leads to Bijie-like tragedies. Family is crucial to children's healthy development. Unfortunately, some parents cannot provide care and guidance for their children. And officials ignore parents' irresponsible behavior toward their children because they wrongly assume it to be merely a "family affair", which reflects the lack of a proper social intervention and assistance mechanism when it comes to families facing difficulties.