The Chinese government is committed to the realization of children’s rights, in accordance with the principles of survival, protection, development and participation. Government and social organizations are motivated by the principle of focusing on the child and working together to create a good environment for the protection and development of children.
China is a developing country with a huge population of 1,295.33 million (FifthCensus 2000) – approximately one-fifth of the world’s total population – spread across 31 mainland provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. The size and diversity of the country alone offer special challenges in the work of childcare and development. Moreover, the Chinese economy has developed rapidly in the past twenty years, moving from a centrally planned one to an open market system. The older systems and traditional approaches to providing services for children’s welfare can no longer meet the increasing needs of vulnerable children in the developing contemporary context. It is essential to look at the broader context of children’s needs and rights, in the evolving nature of welfare services, so as to develop a strategy for sustained, efficient, long-term developments for vulnerable children.
