BEIJING - The State Council, China's Cabinet, has released a guideline on the protection of left-behind children -- those whose parents work away from home -- delineating the various responsibilities of parents, government and society.

The guideline, signed by Premier Li Keqiang, states that local governments and village committees should keep themselves well-informed about the situation of left-behind children within their jurisdiction and ensure they are properly taken care of, while parents' primary responsibilities are stressed.

Education authorities and schools have an obligation to help them study and live safely.

Governments can contract charities and voluntary bodies to provide professional services, and a system of reporting, intervention, assessment and help will be established.

The guideline also sets out to gradually decrease the number of left-behind children.

More than 60 million children are considered left-behind, and lack of proper arrangements for many has led to a number of tragedies, such as the suicide last year of four children in southwest China's Guizhou province.