Assistance mechanism set up after street kids' death

GUIYANG - The government of Bijie, a city in southwest China's Guizhou Province, said on Thursday that it has initiated a mechanism to help street children after five boys were recently found dead in a dumpster.

Luo Yanming, deputy head of the civil affairs bureau of the city's Qixingguan District, said under the mechanism, relief centers will be established to help people living on the streets, including children.

"Billboards and guidance signs with helplines will be set up on streets in the district, while patrol officers will step up efforts to find them," he said.

As part of the mechanism, the district's education authorities planned to go to local primary and high schools to ensure that those under the nine-year compulsory education system are where they should be.

"Schools should keep records of left-behind children and report any cases of drop-outs," said Chen Yong, deputy director of the education bureau of Qixingguan District.

"In the case of drop-outs, schools should inform their parents and try to persuade the children to return to school," Chen said.

Five left-behind children were found dead in the dumpster on a drizzling Friday night in the district, spurring an outburst of grief from the public, who blamed the children's caregivers and the local government for failing to take care of them.

Left-behind children are those who often stay with grandparents in rural areas while their parents work in cities.

One of the poorest provinces in China, Guizhou has an increasing number of people leaving to work in coastal cities where more jobs and better pay might be found.