"Take your children with you to the cities if you can and, at the very least, check on them regularly if you have to leave them behind."
This was the message of the Chinese government to millions of migrant workers as China has formally send out a set of guidelines which is aiming of protecting children that were left behind by their own parents for work away from home.
Beijing government has requested officials from rural areas to keep track of those children that were left behind by their parents by providing files necessary, visiting them at home and making sure that they got to communicate with their parents either via video or phone chat.
These guidelines set by the government was done due to the sudden increase of people moving out from the countryside to cities and towns of China.
According to a report, migrant worker who have children prefer to leave their children at home because of the registration system called "hukou" which means children are denied of health care and education in the cities.
However, some people are doubtful about the said guidelines to be implemented.
"I'm happy to hear there are new regulations," "I just doubt the local authorities will implement them -- they only care about themselves,"said 73-year-old old Tang Xinying.
Tang lives with her 7-year-old grandson Lu Yiming as the kid did not have a mother while his father left home to work as a construction worker in another province.
"I can't teach my grandson well. This boy should be educated by his father and mother.I cannot catch him when he runs away. I cannot discipline him when he misbehaves.We don't have a choice, even if the situation isn't good. If I don't take care of him, who will?" Tang added.
