Guangdong officials told to aid left-behind children

Guangdong province has ordered government officials and neighborhood committees to visit rural families with left-behind children and provide help to get them through any difficulties that might arise during the coming Spring Festival holiday.

Officials and people from neighborhood committees who are in charge of affairs related to women and children must conduct timely visits.

The move aims to allow the province's large number of left-behind children to have a happy and peaceful Spring Festival at a time that Guangdong has encouraged the province's migrant workforce to spend the biggest Chinese festival at their working cities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

They are encouraged to use language, words and pictures that are easy to understand to teach children about the virus and how to protect themselves from infection.

In addition, the officials and related personnel are encouraged to help the left-behind children contact with their parents via videos when they visit the families, according to a special letter.

The letter, which was posted on the official website of the Guangdong Department of Civil Affairs on Tuesday, was jointly issued by the civil affairs department, the women's federation and the office of women and children working committees.

Guangdong has the country's highest number of migrant workers because of its many foreign-funded companies, joint ventures, State-owned enterprises and private businesses.

The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Feb 12 this year. It is an important occasion for family reunions for the Chinese people.