Women bear brunt of poverty with children

Children of Se ethnic group sit in front of a monument that reads "China's No. 1 Poverty Relief Village" at Chixi Village, Panxi town, Fuding city in East China’s Fujian province, Feb 14. The village has shaken off poverty thanks to assistance from Party and government officials at all levels over the past 30 years. [Photo/Xinhua]

Nearly 116 mothers

in an impoverished township in Shaoyang county, Central China's Hunan province, many of whom were trafficked and sold to local men, chose to leave their children behind when they fled their families to escape domestic violence or poverty. Comments:

Poverty, dysfunctional family structures and domestic violence have all contributed to the exodus of these women from Shaoyang. In fact, the lives of local women are unlikely to get better with financial support only. Hence, apart from fighting human trafficking and domestic violence, more concrete efforts are needed to boost the local economy and development for the betterment of local residents.

Beijing News, Aug 10

Balanced development, as the central government has frequently stressed, is yet to be achieved in impoverished places such as Shaoyang. What is even worse than poverty itself is that some local residents choose to run away because they see little hope of escaping poverty otherwise. For the Shaoyang government, the most urgent task is to try and take care of the motherless children, rather than condemn those women who left their families. More importantly, it should put more efforts into lifting more people out of poverty and pursuing balanced development.

Chongqing Morning Post, Aug 10

In the long run, the fundamental cure for the motherless children in Shaoyang lies in extensive and targeted poverty alleviation. In addition, the kids are entitled to proper education.

Western Economic Daily, Aug 10

Mothers in rural areas such as Shaoyang should be educated to show the necessary love for their kids and shoulder due responsibilities for their families, in order to reduce the number of left-behind children in the country. But better law enforcement is also required to stop human trafficking and halt the embedded domestic violence.

youth.cn, Aug 9