Society

Xinjiang to bring wandering minors home

By Wang Qingyun (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-04-22 11:20

Xinjiang authorities are planning to bring back all its minors wandering outside Xinjiang across the country, most of whom abducted away from home, Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

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At a news conference on Thursday, Zhang Chunxian, Party chief of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said the region will announce the take-back project to all the other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the Chinese mainland. Zhang said Xinjiang will spare no efforts to bring its homeless minors back home.

Xinjiang brings back about 3,000 homeless children every year, most of whom haven't accomplished compulsory or professional education, according to its rescue and management office.

A report from the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences says more than 90 percent?of these young vagrants were abducted. The work to bring them home would be difficult, because most of them were too young to remember where they were when they were abducted.

The Xinjiang regional government says it will take reports about Xinjiang vagrants from any mainland province, autonomous region or municipality.

The autonomous region has spent 34.6 million yuan ($5.31 million) and set up 15 rescue centers for vagrant minors in the last five years, and will spend another 50 million yuan for an education center.

The education center offers education in basic knowledge and professional skills to the children brought back. Professional education is free for anyone in the center who is mentally healthy and wants to learn.

The rescue and management office of Xinjiang said it will send qualified children to vocational schools for further training.