A Cosier Home: Children of Prisoners

Supported by the local Christian Council and Amity, a shelter for children of prisoners tries to reduce the impact of social stigma. – By Beate Engelen

It was the experience of his own detention during the Cultural Revolution that motivated Guo Jianhua to help imprisoned families in his hometown Dongzhou. When, in 1996, he came across a report on women in jail, he wondered about what happened to their children during detention. Knowing about the stigma of children with convicted moms and dads, Mr. Guo decided to found the Dongzhou Children’s Home, a shelter for children of prisoners. Dongzhou is not far from Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province.

Guilt by association

Even though children are one of the hottest topics in China, there is an odd silence surrounding the children of the country’s estimated 1.5 million prisoners. Few people have publicly reported on their fate, but there are a few exceptions. The Dongzhou Children’s Home has recently received some attention from outside. In the spring of 2008, several visiting groups came to express their sympathy with the children and donate clothes and books. But such a commitment is still an exception. Most of the several hundred thousand children of prisoners in China get no attention at all. As relatives of convicts, these children are outcasts, condemned to a life on the streets.

Guilt by association is a legal concept that traces its origins to pre-imperial times, when whole families where declared guilty of a crime committed by one member. Even though this legal concept does not apply any more, the repercussions of this tradition are still felt today. Children of prisoners carry a social taint because of their parents’ misconduct.

Reducing discrimination

To counterbalance their misfortune, the 45 children who currently stay at the Dongzhou Children’s Home have been exempted from any fees but receive care and an education nevertheless. More than 200 children from ten different provinces have been supported this way since the Home was founded.

It costs RMB 160 (around US$ 23) to cover the living expenses for one child per month. This looks like a small amount but it causes Mr. Guo a constant headache. No state funds are designated to support the children. Mr. Guo, who also works as a local government official, relies completely on donations to run his institution. Part of the funding is provided by the church. Several years ago a pastor from the Shaanxi Christian Council decided to support Mr. Guo’s enterprise and introduced the Dongzhou Children’s Home to the Amity Foundation. Since then, Amity has provided scholarships, books and funding for new bathrooms.

With donations from home and abroad coming in, living conditions for the children are kept on an acceptable level. But the children are expected to lend a hand themselves whenever necessary. Since fuel was scarce during an unusual cold spell last winter and the price of coal was rising steadily, the children had go out regularly to collect firewood. So Amity provided the Home with money to buy 30 tons of coal, warm clothes and bedding to keep the children warm and cozy. With the surplus amount of money the Children’s Home was able to buy its first color TV, a washing machine and a refrigerator.

So far, Mr. Guo has managed to make ends meet, but the future is far from certain. If donations dry up, the children of prisoners will be back on the street.