Girl attends class cradling baby brother

Do You Like This Story?

H
UNAN, China - In a photo that has touched many netizens, a 10-year-old girl in a rural town is seen cradling her baby brother to sleep. 

This would not be a scene out of the ordinary except for the fact that the photo was taken in a primary school classroom where lessons were being conducted.

The photographer, Lu Qixing, who captured the touching image, said the siblings' parents work outside of their hometown, and their grandparents are farmworkers, so the girl had no choice but to take her baby brother to school.


In the photo, she was carrying the two-year-old because he was getting sleepy. 


Lu added that the boy's head is abnormally large because of poor nutrition.


The image went viral after being uploaded on the Internet, and has been forwarded by many netizens on social media platforms.


Many said they were moved to tears, while some even tried to provide financial aid to the girl, reported one website.


According to the teacher of the class, the girl is in Grade Two, and situations like hers are common in Jiangshan Town, a Miao minority town.


The girl, Long Zhanghuan, said she would usually bring her brother to school around two or three times a week.


But a latest Chinese media report  on Oct 31 says Zhanghuan has transferred to another primary school and is no longer able to bring her brother with her to school as it is too far away.



She takes 40 minutes to travel to the new school, on a mountainous journey too perilous for a two-year-old boy. Their grandfather, who is ill, now looks after him at home.


Stories about these 'abandoned' children of parents who are simply too busy to care for them have been highlighted in the Chinese media in recent years.

The dangers that face these children include being victims of abuse, and for girls, sexual assault, and there is rising concern in China over the care and safety of these children. 




 Click on thumbnails to view media.