61 mln children left behind by migrant-worker parents in China

Although millions of children leave their hometowns to go with their migrant worker parents to their workplaces, others are still living in the countryside without their parents. They are often taken care of by their grandparents or other relatives.

According to the All-China Women's Federation, China has more than 61 million children left behind by their migrant worker parents, or one in five children under the age of 18 living separately from their parents.

The situation has taken its toll not only on parent-children relationships, but on migrant workers' performance at factories. More than 80 percent of migrant workers who leave their children behind in the countryside feel they fail to play their role as parents. More than 40 percent of migrant workers have left their jobs at least once for family reasons.

Migrant workers chose to leave their children behind because of a shortage of income, difficulties in finding suitable schools, and busy work schedules that leave them with no time to be with their children.