Civil Code strengthens adoption law

Family matters

Researchers have found that most children who grow up in orphanages lack the social skills that are essential to further education and good careers.

Shang Xiaoyuan, a professor at Beijing Normal University and an expert on orphan issues, told People's Daily that youngsters raised in orphanages are prone to depression as a result of unfortunate personal experiences and limited social engagement.

"At age 18, some young people in orphanages have rarely traveled outside the facility on their own and don't even know how to get to local downtown areas," she said.

Shang said the government should provide a financial incentive for volunteers who opt to give orphanage-raised children a taste of family life.

She said the most pressing issue is for the relevant parties to create conditions to help older orphans become more involved in society.

According to a report on child welfare last year, China had about 305,000 orphans on record, but only 16,000 of them, or 5.2 percent, had been adopted.

The report, by the National Bureau of Statistics, said 93,000 parentless children lived in orphanages, meaning that about two-thirds lived on their own－aided by State benefits－or with relatives.

In addition to psychological issues, lawyers suggested that barring older teenagers from being adopted could lead to a higher rate of juvenile crime.

"Children ages 14 to 18 are considered highly rebellious," said Zhu Jieping, founder and partner in the Tai KunLyu Law Firm in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

He said the lack of family care and attention could make the children vulnerable to harm, but also make them more likely to become destabilizing factors in society.

"The Civil Code has moved to fix the problem," Zhu added.