Families who take in abandoned children must be helped

The Government is the first party responsible for orphans and abandoned children, says an article in China Business News. Excerpts:

Only when governments take the initiative to support families who take in abandoned children can the children's quality of life be guaranteed and lead to more private adopters caring for children.

Statistics show public charity departments only accommodate a small fraction of orphans in China. More children who should be taken care of by the government are actually fighting to survive by various means, with most existing at the bottom of society.

The procedure to send abandoned children to orphanages in China is quite complicated. It is very difficult to send disabled or ill children to public welfare houses. Private adopters are playing a lead role in caring for children, without receiving enough financial assistance from the country.

The fact is, the central government's financial support for China's grassroots welfare houses for children are far from enough. Many counties with a population of more than one million do not even have their own child welfare houses.

If the government does not have enough money to care for the children, it should establish the evaluation system to check the qualifications of families who take in children and guarantee that the adopted children's living conditions meet certain levels. Governments should provide financial assistance to the qualified families.