"On United Nations Universal Children’s Day, ICTI CARE Foundation reports on how it is supporting workers with left-behind children", 20 Nov 2016

…Latest figures estimate that there are 247 million migrant workers in the Country…The majority of these workers are parents, and due to childcare needs and the ‘Houku’ system…The frequency of reunions between children and their parents is depressingly low; the most fortunate are the 30% of children who see their parents on an annual basis when they come home to visit them…

This summer, ICTI CARE ran pilot projects to create Family-Friendly Factory Spaces at two toy factories in China…with the Center for Child Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility (CCR CSR), the project aims to reunite migrant workers with their left-behind children during the summer months. The spaces create a safe space to learn and play while their parents work.  This enables families, who are usually separated by distance, to spend time together and forge closer relationships…

Business benefits for toy factories

…At both factories, CCR CSR reported that management appeared motivated by genuine concern for the wellbeing of children and by the opportunity to show their support to workers, which in turn helped to build trust and increase worker satisfaction…Each toy factory reported significantly improvements in retention…as well as improved employee-management trust/confidence and relationship …