About a third of 61 million left-behind children in China have shown suicidal tendencies, a child care NGO said on Thursday.
Citing data from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the NGO, On the Road to School, said 34 percent of left-behind children have shown suicidal tendencies while their parents work in cities far from home and leave them living with relatives, some even living by themselves.
"Nearly 22 percent of minors in China are left-behind children. More than 70 percent of them have psychological problems at different levels," the organization said.
From October to December 2014, the organization conducted a survey in the rural areas in six provinces to find out what might influence the psychological status of left-behind children.
In its report, the NGO said nearly 10 million children failed to see their parents throughout the year and tend to feel increasingly annoyed about their living conditions if they do not see their parents every three months.
The report further revealed that 2.6 million children failed to receive any phone call from their parents in a year, and the report explained that contact with their parents once or twice a week could significantly ease their depression.
The survey also showed that left-behind children in northwestern areas face higher psychological risks than those in southwestern and central China. Girls need more psychological care and attention than boys, the report said.
"There is no panacea to solve all problems related to left-behind children, but we found that reading, studying and proper entertainment could effectively improve their self-esteem and mental health. The presence of the mother at home is also very important," said Li Yifei, an education professor at Beijing Normal University and author of the report.
Lively discussions on the living conditions of China's left-behind children recently erupted again after four children in Bijie, Guizhou Province died at home after drinking a bottle of pesticide on June 9. Advocates have called for combined efforts from parents, schools and the government to take care of them.
