Two left-behind children follow their teacher to school in a mountainous area of Jiangxi province. ZHUO ZHONGWEI/CHINA DAILY

ON WEDNESDAY, THE MINISTRY OF CIVIL AFFAIRS PUBLISHED THE RESULTS of its recent census, which put the number of left-behind children, children who stay in their hometowns while both their parents work elsewhere, at 9.02 million. The census has provoked much discussion as that figure is much lower than that of a previous national survey. Beijing Times comments:

Many people have expressed doubts about the census results, because the number is so much lower than that of a previous national survey by the All China Women's Federation, which said the number of left-behind children might be as high as 61 million.

Their difference lies in how they define left-behind. The ACWF defines left-behind children as those who have one parent working far away from home, while the ministry defines them as those with both parents working outside their hometowns. Besides, the ACWF survey includes all those under 18, while the ministry only includes those under 16.

The ministry can of course insist on its own definition of left-behind children, but it should never forget that the children living with only one parent face problems, too, and should not be excluded from getting the help they need. Over the years, there have been too many reports about left-behind children being brutalized, abandoned, and sexually abused.

That's why the ministry's census has faced so much skepticism. Instead of trying to defend the census, the ministry should put more energy into solving the problem. It should draft policies to help all the children in need.