Under the new guidelines released by the Chinese government, parents who are migrant workers may face sanctions if it is found that their children, left behind in their hometowns, are inadequately provided with care and attention.

The policy, which was approved by Premier Li Keqiang and announced this month, outlines the responsibilities of parents and the government in the protection of left-behind children. It stressed that parents bear the primary responsibility of their children's care.

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In a press conference on Friday, vice minister of civil affairs Zou Ming said that there are some irresponsible parents who, after giving birth to their kids, just abandon them without ensuring they are properly cared for, thus threatening their physical and mental health well-being.

Zou warned that if proven that these children are severely harmed because of their indifference, parents may face punishment. Also, their custody over these children can be renounced.

Shangxuelushang, an NGO that caters for left-behind children, revealed that in a survey conducted last year that nearly 15 percent of the children under their care claim to have had no physical contact with their parents in an entire year, while 4 percent said they received only one phone call per year.

Beijing Children's Legal Aid and Research Center head Tong Lihua said that this can have a huge psychological impact that can even lead to poor school performance and extreme behaviors such as suicide. In June last year, four left-behind siblings aged between 5 and 13 years from Bijie, Guizhou province, all committed suicide by consuming poisonous pesticides.

Zou encouraged parents to take their kids along when traveling to look for jobs in other cities or if possible at least one of the parents should keep the kids company and care for them. 

Tagsleft-behind children in China, china, migrant workers, Shangxuelushang, Premier Li Keqiang