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Gruesome Discovery Puts Attention on Over One Million Children Living On The Streets In China

Nov. 23, 2012 7:25am Christopher Santarelli

There Are Over One Million Children Living On The Streets In China Right Now

A gruesome discovery in China’s montainous Guizhou province has put the spotlight on the 1 to 1.5 million street children living in the world’s second largest economy. Last week in Bijie, five male street children ranging from ages seven to thirteen were found lifeless in a 1.5 by 1.5 meter dumpster, succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning after one boy lit some charcoal to keep warm within the closed bin. Chinese users of social media have expressed shock and disgust at the news over the last week, with CNN reporting that many in the nation are now asking broader questions like how society could have allowed such young children to fall through the cracks:

One user on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, wrote: “China is supposedly an intermediate developed country but still can’t protect its own children. At the age when they should be enjoying a happy childhood these poor kids are wandering and dying on the streets.” (@Datounaonao)

Another said: “I just can’t believe this is a story happening in my country today…where are the “relevant departments” doing on this? And “where are the kids’ parents? Why give birth to children and then abandon them?” (@Dongsir)

The Telegraph reports that the boys were all cousins and brothers, sons of three brothers, two of which were migrant workers who lived off “collecting rubbish in the Guangdong province.” The national outrage has led to the firing of four education and civil affairs officials, and two school principles. Locals say that the five dirty-looking boys had been seen in the neighborhood one week before the discovery, begging for money outside a school.

While local media estimates there over 150,000 street children in China, Dale Rutstein of UNICEF China tells CNN that up to 1.5 million children are thought to be fending for themselves across the country but, given the fluid nature of homelessness, it was hard to keep track. A survey from Guangzhou Children Protection Center in cooperation with the Guangzhou Medical College classifies street children into four major categories: 48% run aways to escape family problems such poverty, divorced parents, or physical abuse. Twenty percent are on the street to “work and earn money” or “see the world.” Another ten percent are lost, lured or trafficked. World Crunch notes that these children are on average between 14 and 15 years old, and the majority of them have received less than fo ur years of elementary education.

The Telegraph notes that the deaths came just days after senior leaders in Beijing trumpeted “the Great Chinese renaissance” at the Communist Party’s 18th Congress.

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Comments (44)

Tri-ox
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 6:59pm
This is the future that obama has in store for America.

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chershaw8
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 5:05pm
Don’t you just love socialism/communism/marxism….?

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politicianssuck
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 9:10am
If they have this many homeless children then why do they have Ghost Cities? If they are building cities in order to keep their job rrates high then why don’t they go ahead and allow the homeless in?

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123456beatriz
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 6:20am
Well Liberals idiots. Supposedly “Marxism” + Communism is the “key” for happiness?

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cosmic dogma
Posted on November 24, 2012 at 11:47pm
Incomprehensible! How can there be abandoned children when each family is allowed only one, or two children? Seems each child would be a special gift. Guess the state doesn’t cherish it’s children. Very sad. Very cruel. Very un-Christian.

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AbrahamsSheepdog
Posted on November 24, 2012 at 9:02pm
How can God be happy? Look how low his children sink. He left us in charge, what have we become? Babies cold and starving. Father please Send your angels to comfort them and give them strength. Help the big ones protect their brothers&sisters. Father give them peace. And let them know that on the other side of the globe prayer is sent for thier safety. In Jesus’s name.

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702TruthSeeker
Posted on November 24, 2012 at 4:02pm
heh.. 1.5 million unemployed? they’ll get sent over to foxconn and put to work just like the rest of them so that we can have our ipads and other disposable consumer goods. “freedom” ain’t free and our 16 trillion dollar credit card is past due

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Totally Domestic
Posted on November 24, 2012 at 3:57pm
ALL the nations that forget God shall be turned into hell.
Take note America.

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myway
Posted on November 24, 2012 at 10:17am
We only have 47 million on food stamps.

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charleyrocks
Posted on November 24, 2012 at 5:16am
All of your words mean nothing, if you truly are shocked and cared you will go out of your way to find made in america or canada or Germany products that won’t make you sick or kill you. Your dogs and cats would thank you.

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- Scooby_Do
  Posted on November 24, 2012 at 7:45am
  You can’t possibly be blaming people in this country who buy Chinesse produced goods for the children in the streets. There is no relationship between the two. Read fresh political commenatry at: http://smallcraftadvisorychronicles.blogspot.com/
  
  Report this comment
- AbrahamsSheepdog
  Posted on November 24, 2012 at 8:52pm
  Dont blame everybody with twisted words. You have china junk within eyesight you use everyday b@stard.
  
  Report this comment
elderbat
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 11:18pm
my heart breaks for those children, regardless of country. they will have little or no hope of much more than a desperate existence just to survive. cannot wait for the Lord to intervene and set things to His way. God bless them all.

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- SendTheMeteors
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 11:25pm
  Why don’t they just get jobs? At China isn’t as communist as the United States, where the libs would probably try to “help” (read: enslave) kids like this. These are just the “takers” not the “makers” who have made China the second largest economy in the world. These kids just want their Nanny State government to take care of them by stealing from the job creators.
  
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- bignebraskan
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 11:46pm
  Millions of kids? Try millions upon millions living in poverty or on the streets…all ages in countries like china. Take a browse through walmart, target, or any other store in America and you will find most of their products come from china. Then ask yourself how china has so many homeless. china and other countries engage in slave labor. Real slave labor. And our union workers think they have it tough. We as Americans need to demand answers as to why our govt and businesses engage in the exploitation of those workers in foreign countries. Is this what is meant by “free markets”? People in communist and socialist countries work for almost free so walmart can have low prices and our American workers get put out of work???
  
  Report this comment
- loriann12
  Posted on November 24, 2012 at 10:03am
  @bignebraskan I agree in a way. I know that it’s really hard to find products made in the USA, but that’s because not only is it cheaper to buy Chinese made because of the slave labor and low tarriffs, but the high regulation on US made products. We don’t manufacture any thing any more here in the US. Who can afford all the regulations and pay union wages? People will only buy US made if you put high enough tarriffs on foreign products so they cost the same.
  
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- Lucy Larue
  Posted on November 24, 2012 at 5:59pm
  @SENDTHEMETEORS,
  
  UM…,were you struck by a meteor in the back of the head?!
  Your post makes no sense.
  Children are children…,no matter where they may be. Your lack of empathy is so sad.
  
  Bless the Beasts and Children.They are the innocents.
  
  Report this comment
SoCaDad
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 6:08pm
See how “relevant departments” has replaced “parents” and “relatives” and “community” in China? See what a awful job it’s doing? That is precisely where liberal progressives are taking America. No need for family, employment or personal savings when you have a cradle to grave welfare state!

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- ZengaPA65
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 7:15pm
  Why weren’t these kids working 16 hours a day in some factory making every product imaginable for Americans?! The outrage.
  
  Report this comment
- Jaycen
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 8:22pm
  @SoCaDad
  
  You hit it on the head. The corollary is that in America the problem isn’t nearly as pronounced. Capitalism and freedom has created enough prosperity that the number of street children is a much smaller percentage of the population.
  
  @ZengaPA65
  
  Your avatar icon is the opposite of what you just posted. Who made the point that these children should be slaving away in a sweat shop? Moreover, what if these children COULD have gotten a job making a little cash? Paper route, shoe shine, pumping gas, etc. Wouldn’t that create greater prosperity and allow the kids to contribute to the family’s needs?
  
  I hope your comment was meant as sarcasm, but I’m guessing it was a imbecilic shot across someone’s bow. If it was aimed at SoCaDad, then you clearly didn’t read his comment.
  
  Report this comment
- db321
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 10:04pm
  Sorry China, America would love to come and help, but our Media is busy cover up a criminal in the WH that is trying to please his dead father by destroying America. We will have more that a Million Children homeless. It wont be long all Govt Hand outs will dry up – it is what half of America wanted.
  
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- jeann
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 10:37pm
  exactly well said..
  
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GotMullet
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 3:57pm
Don’t forget the one child policy in urban China. If you child is caught with a sibling, you are severly punished. There are no sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles in this generation, unless, evidently, you’re on the streets. But that’s China.

Here in the US…. we’ve lost our purpose. If anyone looks to America, anymore, they are looking to false hope.

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Luisa48
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 3:12pm
That is shameful. How can a government allow children to die in the streets? Shame on this government.

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- caleejr
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 3:27pm
  replace the word “government” with “society” and that’s how it should be done. Reading posts from people in that country that are crying out for gov’t intervention – why don’t those people step up and do something personally.
  
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- YellowFin
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 3:32pm
  Shame on the PARENTS!
  
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- bumpkin
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 4:53pm
  Luisa, governments are not ‘there’ to allow or disallow anything at all. They are really only ‘there’ (or here) to make money off their Nation’s other people in order to supply their co-professional liars an amazing lifestyle. Open your eyes and look around. There is absolutely NOTHING that is noble or ‘above’ or more dignified/useful than the lowest person in their nation… They merely have learned to lie very well. Because of that, – their focus, I mean, they realize they simply cannot make money off homeless kids, unless they were to begin trafficking them with the other slave-criminals, and they fear doing that in the open, lest the nation’s ‘other people’ lynch them.
  
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- punyhuman
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 5:18pm
  They obviously didn’t have their ‘homeless permits’ in order.
  
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Sgt_Rock
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 2:40pm
Despite the “utopian” goals of communism, these children are proof positive that life is cheap in most communist societies. It is especially true in China. Mao killed millions of men, women and children. A million kids is chump change by comparison. This story shouldn’t surprise anyone.

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Brad4601
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 1:30pm
It’s in the first stages here too now folks. These people are so ideological they won’t learn from past mistakes.

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Just_Us2
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 1:11pm
This is just more Fox News propaganda, right? Socialism and communism bring joy to everyone. No child is left behind. Maybe their abortion program needs to be tweaked…but that’s all…right? Whose with me? Obama, obama, hope and change, Obama…..keep repeating until you forget this….

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- Just_Us2
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 1:42pm
  I did some research and there are 1.3 billion people in China. If there are 1.5 million homeless kids, that is .001% (check my math). How many similar kids are in the US? It is very difficult to find real statistics since the definition of homeless in the US is vastly different than what it is for China. But, I think compared to China, the heavily democratically controlled cities of the US, under the Obama administration, have a higher percentage of kids living in the streets than China. Its not an apples to apples comparison, but the more socialized our society becomes, the closer the comparisons will be. As a nation, I do not believe we have any business pointing fingers at China about a problem that appears to be worse here than it is there.
  
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- kindling
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 3:47pm
  I also was thinking the number is small, but I thought it was just for one small area, not the entire country of China. All societies have homeless and run aways. Man is man and children will always run away because parents are not perfect. If churches were doing their job those kids would have someplace to go rather than a dumpster. Government should never be the answer. We need to bring back logical consequences. Shame used to be enough to stop parents from beating their kids and shame used to keep youth from all of what they are guilty of today. Now it is all about making everyone feel good.
  
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- theliberalmedialies
  Posted on November 24, 2012 at 3:49pm
  Your math was correct with a result of 0.001, but it was not 0.001%, rather 0.1%
  
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repairsea
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 12:23pm
First off, this is sad. Very sad. Now looking at the United States, we have children on the streets whose parents are meth addicts. No one is taking care of them. I know one women who was raised in Beverly Hills by liberals with open marriages and orgies. She has been on the street since she was 9 years old. She dropped out of school and learned to survive by saying she was older. Waitressed to earn a living. Yes, good old Beverly Hills. Why do you think the children of stars and affluent are so messed up? Social workers have to get permission in gang territories by the gang lords to investigate child abuse in their territories. If they don’t give permission, the investigation is over. Foster care programs that pimp out the children in El Monte, California. The liberal media ignores our mess in our country. How old were the boys sold for sex in Barney Frank’s house by his boyfriend? Yes, it is sad that children are homeless. It is sad they die in a container starving and cold. It is sad that they are horribly abused.
Currently California has the largest sex trafficking in the US which involves children. The average life span in a child forced into sex trafficking is 4 years. Why isn’t this in the news?

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- AbrahamsSheepdog
  Posted on November 24, 2012 at 9:15pm
  Yes, good point. That’s the sickening truth. I hope there is a special place in hell. To use children, beyond sick.
  
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- Walkabout
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 5:43pm
  repairsea
  
  WOW. I knew we had problems but not that many.
  
  Glenn Beck wants to set up a 60 minutes type program. Well here is a story.
  
  Still wow, living in Beverly Hills & you still can’t take care of your child via nannies or other surrogates?
  
  Four year life expectancy. There should be coroners reports to back up such a story. That would be a lot of dead young people.
  
  Report this comment
Detroit paperboy
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 12:14pm
Communism is the road to HELL…………

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Dalgast
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 11:44am
And I’m suppose to be upset by this why? These are the same people that ship poison to this country, so I really don’t care if the 1 to 1.5 million street urchins live or die. the Same thing for all the adults as well.

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- anniegtyrgun
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 1:03pm
  I care. They are created in Gods image. I have two on my lap right now, who will not let me rest after a long day of cooking yesterday, which was there first Thanksgiving. After a year of a home, family and lots of love the change in them is a miracle.
  
  Report this comment
- christos
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 1:30pm
  anniegtyrgun – That is thoughtful & caring of you,,,yet your not getting 1 cent from the government,your paying for them completely on your own that is very honorable,,,the anti +CHRIST+ will be ushered in by “Human Secularism”/Caring,,,using those words as the Narrative,he will be magnetic and many people will follow him,he will show up on the political scene when the world is in chaos & offer $ & claim he is god,sound familiar to the time we are living in,crash the $ system & be there to save everyone.I do pray for people everyday,
  
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- 1956
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 10:10pm
  These children didn’t do that… my daughters are adopted from China, and I look at these innocent faces and know that there are a thousand reasons why this happens… a cruel, inflexible, bureaucracy of a government, parents either caught between their hearts or crushing punishment, parents dying because there is no safety net in a communist country, total indifference from a nation which is, for the most part, is just trying to survive… no hope for a bright future when every thing you do in life is controlled and you need permission to marry, have children, work where you work, live where you live…. and there’s not much chance you can change your situation, because it is totally out of your control. Whether it’s one child or a billion, in China, Africa, Russia, or the U.S., it is too many.
  
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thegreatcarnac
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 11:37am
Wait a minute! Do you mean to tell us that in communism there are still children living on the streets and starving. I thought socialism/communism was a paradise. Obama lied to us.

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- bekhiet
  Posted on November 23, 2012 at 2:44pm
  paradise for the elite.
  
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