[imText1]A South Korean organization which assists defectors, Durihana Mission is taking a proactive role in sheltering abandoned children of female defectors in China.
In an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA), Pastor Chun Ki Won of Durihana Mission revealed on the 22nd “Children of female defectors roaming as street kids with no parents nor country are now receiving shelter at a refuge.”
Pastor Chun said “It is estimated that there are over 10,000 children of female defectors abandoned in China. Recently, Angel House is giving shelter to children with no home, an opportunity to participate in worship and proactive activities.”
“These children age from infants to about 7 year and are all children born from female defectors forced into undesired Chinese marriages.”
He elucidated the difficulties of the children, “We need to identify their nationality, but irrespective of which country, it is not easy. Even if we had money and paid the fine, citizenship cannot be obtained without parental agreement.”
Currently, it is possible for children born from Chinese and defector parents to acquire citizenship. However, it is near to impossible for abandoned children, as it is difficult to obtain the necessary parental agreement.
Pastor Chun revealed “The children at Angel’s House receiving shelter are in an unfortunate situation as they cannot even enter South Korea. At present, children use the facilities at 3 locations and in future, plans are being made to expand to other regions.”
Further he stressed “As the number of female defectors steadily grow, it is inevitable that the number of abandoned children will grow also. We imperatively need facilities to ensure that these children can grow in a safe and protective environment.”
Most recently, as ‘Street kids with no citizenship’ abandoned by Chinese fathers and defector mothers become more prevalent, concerns are being raised over this compelling issue.
