Give children true freedom

Last month, the Chinese media reported that an electronics company in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, was suspected of hiring dozens of child laborers and forcing them to work 12 hours a day for a monthly pay of 2,000 yuan ($329.82).

The report drew immediate attention especially because most of the underage workers were girls. According to the report, some children refused to tell their exact age, but before they were escorted back to their hometown in Liangshan, Sichuan province, a girl said she did not want to leave because by working in the factory she could afford to "eat meat".

A society ruled by law should protect its children's rights and interests, and eliminate the disease of child labor. But by saving the children from exploitation, society has put them in a state where they can only dream of having a meal with meat. Such incidents pose a real challenge for the country's child welfare guarantee system and national poverty-relief efforts, said a commentary in Beijing News on Monday.

Without having to worry about food and clothing, the children in question should have been in school. The government launched a nutrition improvement program targeted at students undergoing compulsory education in 680 poor counties of the country in 2011, which entitles them to get meal subsidy. The government has indeed waived the tuition for compulsory education. But many of the children who live far from schools have to become boarding students to continue their studies, and their parents cannot afford to pay for their food and lodging. This explains why the children were forced to work in the production line of the company in Shenzhen.

Now that the children have returned home, authorities should ensure that they get proper education and offer help to the needy families. This, however, should not be the exclusive duty of local governments. Provincial and national authorities in charge of poverty relief should also share the responsibility.

Child labor has exposed the drawbacks of the national child welfare protection mechanism and unbalanced regional development. The solution to the problem is not only protecting children from exploitation, but also making greater efforts to eliminate poverty, which is at the root cause of child labor. And this demands a clear action plan and timetable.