Parents of Beijing's nine million-plus "left behind" children risk facing criminal charges and losing custody of their young ones, according to a statement by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs.

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The statement issued by the ministry said that any parent who has failed in their parental duties for over six months are at the mercy of the children's relatives or guardians in regards to their custody.

"Local authorities overseeing child welfare are required to develop an action plan for children by year's end," the statement said.

The statement also mentioned a 2017 plan of action that is aimed at assisting care workers in detecting vulnerable "left behind" children as well as migrant parents who no longer support them.

"More than half a million of these children have been left to take care of themselves," the ministry said. "A majority of them are 6 to 13 years old." 

A report released earlier this month estimates that not less than nine million children in Beijing have been left under the care of guardians (mostly grandparents) as their parents seek urban employment.

According to the director of a Beijing-based legal aid organization for teenagers, Tong Lihua, the quest for employment in urban places have damaged the family unit. He said that a great number of the parents are not well informed of their responsibilities.

The report stated that once the parents leave, they usually only make occasional visits maybe once or twice in a year.

In an interview with Caixin, Du Shuang, head of the Beijing-based NGO Growing home, explained that well-equipped care workers had a better chance of taking care of "left behind" children. She, however, added that children staying with their parents were far better off.

"Children are better off when their parents bring them along when they come to work in urban areas as they can receive better support and easier access to schools," she said.

Tagschina, Beijing, china immigration, China Ministry of Civil Affairs