China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has admitted loopholes exist in the country's child welfare system and arranged a nationwide campaign to scrutinize the situation after seven people died in a fire in an illegal orphanage in Lankao, Henan Province, last week.
The ministry said that there are no sound regulations on protecting orphans and abandoned children, and no sound network for discovering, reporting and transferring orphans and abandoned children, according to a notice published on the ministry's official website on Wednesday.
Six children and an adult adopted by a local woman, Yuan Lihai, died in a fire Friday morning in Lankao. Yuan's orphanage was unregistered with authorities.
Li Meijiao, an official with the Lankao civil affairs bureau, said that the locals are not well informed about the relevant regulations on adopting children.
"Many government departments need to work together to solve the problems of individuals adopting orphans and abandoned children," Li said.
China currently has 615,000 orphans and abandoned children across the country, and about 109,000 are in public institutions while other 500,000 have been adopted by their relatives, individuals and NGOs, said the ministry, which vowed to study the situation of orphans and abandoned children adopted by both individuals and NGOs and adopt a varied approach to different cases.
According to the plan, when individuals and NGOs are found to be unqualified for adoption, local authorities will negotiate with them to transfer children to public institutions.
Local authorities will sign agreements with qualified individuals and organizations, allowing them to adopt children under the supervision of the local government. Individuals who want to adopt children have to register with the local authorities, the ministry said.
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