The State should do more to protect its children

Several photos of a naked girl begging in Nanjing, Jiangsu province have attracted nationwide attention. An article in Beijing News on Friday urges the State to do more for children that do not receive proper care from their guardians (excerpts below).

When her peers were going to school, 6-year-old Xiaoxiao was smoking along the roadside and begging together with her father, who believed a naked child could bring him more money. Her father even refused help from social aid organizations.

That case together with a recent tragedy in which two girls died of starvation due to the negligence of their drug-addicted mother sounded an alarm for the country to review custody rights. In China, it is difficult to legally deprive someone of his or her custody right due to the requirements of law.

Besides, the absence of professional agencies also creates a dilemma: where should the minors go if their parents lose their custody rights? Many law enforcement departments avoid these cases because they are troublesome.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide care to minors whose parents do not provide enough care. The State needs to do more than legislate.