Migrant children thrown into the streets in China

(May 14,2011) Beijing municipal authorities are cracking down on unauthorised kindergartens in the city’s Daxing District. Tens of thousands of children from migrant families are now without schools, as dozens of kindergartens closed, 50,000 migrant children were thrown into the streets. The authorities claim they want to close “illegal businesses” but in many cases kindergartens are unable to get a permit on technicalities. Migrants are thus unable to find a place where they can leave their children. Forced closures penalise children who “do not exist” according to city authorities. Experts say that residency laws must be changed.