Sex offenders prey on left-behind kids (3)

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A child participates in a sex education class by drawing a picture at a primary school in Jinan, capital of Shandong province. The class is part of a course aimed at alerting children to the dangers of sexual assault. Zheng Tao / China Daily

Lonely, frustrated

Of course, sexual abuse isn't the only problem facing left-behind children. Loneliness, frustration and feelings of being unwanted can also cast a shadow over these young lives.

Li Xinru stood alongside her smiling fellow students, frowning silently. The 6-year-old is one of three left-behind children who attend a village school in Linfen, Shanxi. While the other students played happily, Li rarely looked happy.

Her mother works at a printing factory in Beijing and her father is a laborer in Inner Mongolia, so the first-grade student has been left with her grandparents. Her two older brothers attend a middle school in a nearby village.

Her approach to strangers is markedly different from that of her peers. She is likely to respond to a gift, such as a snack, without a word of thanks or even the slightest change of expression.

She seldom responds to questions and is withdrawn. Her answers usually consist of just a few words: To the question "When do you call your mom?" her answer was "Dark", meaning after nightfall.

When the school held an event to mark a large donation to its building fund, the other left-behind students were surrounded by family members. Li, however, arrived alone. When asked where her grandparents were, she replied, "Watching TV at home". Her expression grew graver and sadder the more she was questioned.

Although she finds it hard to open up to strangers, she reacted quickly when asked, "Who do you prefer to be with, grandpa or your grandma?"

"I like mom most," she said. She made no mention of her brothers.

Company rules mean Li's mother can't take phone calls until after 8 pm and she only sees her children once a year, at Spring Festival. The only dream Li can express freely is, "To go to Beijing and be with mom."

Outside the gate of Li's primary school in Yangfan village, a group of locals leaned on a wall next to a grocery store and kept a watchful eye out for strangers.

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