China One Child Policy
One-Child Policy in China
The one-child policy has certainly contributed to the stark gender imbalance in China, which, according to the 2000 census, was about 117 males to 100 females. For second births, the national ratio was about 152 to 100. Moreover, China’s aging population and rising ratio of dependent to wage-earning adults pose tremendous challenges for the country. The lack of effective pension and social welfare systems for senior citizens results in a growing burden on China’s working age population. Many Chinese "one-child" couples, lacking siblings, are hard-pressed to support two sets of aging parents. ... [Read More]
China (03/05)
With a population officially just over 1.3 billion and an estimated growth rate of about 0.6%, China is very concerned about its population growth and has attempted with mixed results to implement a strict birth limitation policy. China’s 2002 Population and Family Planning Law and policy permit one child per family, with allowance for a second child under certain circumstances, especially in rural areas, and with guidelines looser for ethnic minorities with small populations. Enforcement varies, and relies largely on "social compensation fees" to discourage extra births. Official government policy opposes forced abortion or sterilization, but in some localities there are instances of forced abortion. The government's goal is to stabilize the population in the first half of the 21st century, and current projections are that the population will peak at around 1.6 billion by 2050. ... [Read More]
Department of State Washington File: Text: China's "One-Child" Policy Coercive, State's Dewey Says
The one-child policy has certainly contributed to the stark gender imbalance in China, which, according to the 2000 census, was about 117 males to 100 females. For second births, the national ratio was about 152 to 100. Moreover, China's aging population and rising ratio of dependent to wage-earning adults pose tremendous challenges for the country. The lack of effective pension and social welfare systems for senior citizens results in a growing burden on China's working age population. Many Chinese "one-child" couples, lacking siblings, are hard-pressed to support two sets of aging parents. ... [Read More]
China
CHILDREN'S ISSUES: For information on international adoption of children and international parental child abduction, please refer to our Internet site at http://travel.state.gov/children's_issues.html or telephone Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747. This number is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). Callers who are unable to use toll-free numbers, such as those calling from overseas, may obtain information and assistance during these hours by calling 1-202-501-4444. ... [Read More]
International Parental Child Abduction China
U.S. Department of State [Read More]
Serious Human Rights Abuses Continue in China, Kozak Says - US Department of State
In 1987, Ms. Mao gave birth to twins and asked her work unit to provide additional housing for her growing family and mother. The work unit refused to provide housing for her mother, and the dispute continued until 1989, when Mao became pregnant with her third child. At that time, Mao's work unit denied her revised claim for housing on the grounds that she was in violation of China's one-child policy. In likely retaliation for Mao's subsequent hunger strike and protests at the offices of her work unit, her work unit had Mao confined to a psychiatric facility in February 1989. During her six-day incarceration she reported that she was treated with drugs for three days in dosages she says were sufficient to affect her and her unborn child. Fortunately, she carried the child to term. ... [Read More]
China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)
The Law on the Protection of Juveniles forbids the mistreatment or abandonment of children. According to the latest available figures, compiled in 1994, the number of children abandoned annually was approximately 1.7 million, despite the fact that, under the law, child abandonment is punishable by a fine and a 5-year prison term. The vast majority of children in orphanages were female, although some were males who were either disabled or in poor health. The treatment of children at these institutions has improved, especially with the increased attention created by foreign adoptions, but serious problems remained and mortality rates in some institutions were high. Medical professionals frequently advised parents of children with disabilities to put the children into orphanages. In recent years, some private orphanages (not funded by the Government), in which conditions may be generally better for children, have started to operate. In areas where such orphanages existed, some state- ... [Read More]
Tips for Travelers to China
Family Issues Adoptions After completing lengthy pre-adoption procedures in the United States, Americans wishing to adopt a child in China can expect to spend at least two weeks there to complete the adoption. Once in China, and after the adoption has been completed, the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou w ... [Read More]
Report of the China UNFPA Independent Assessment Team
2Note: "It may be actual, direct, or positive, as where physical force is used to compel to act against one’s will, or implied, legal, or constructive, as where one party is constrained by subjugation to other to do what his free will would refuse." Black’s Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, 1990, p. 258.We were told that SFPC-UNFPA negotiations over the joint program took three years, of which three months were spent on three paragraphs that center on birth control quotas and targets, as well as coercive issues. Nevertheless, ample evidence exists of heavy-handed abusive and coercive practices outside the 32 counties since 1995:The June 10, 1998 testimony before the House Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights within the House International Relations Committee of former SFPC official in Fujian Province Gao Xiaoduan and the documents/forms she submi ... [Read More]
China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)
Kidnapping and the buying and selling of children continued to occur, particularly in poorer rural areas. There were no reliable estimates of the number of children trafficked. Domestically, most trafficked children were sold to couples unable to have children; in particular, boys were trafficked to couples unable to have a son. During the year, media reported arrests in the case of 76 baby boys sold in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, and a case of 200 children, mostly boys, who were kidnapped in Kunming, Yunnan Province. However, baby girls also were trafficked. During the year, 52 people were convicted in a March 2003 case in which 28 girls were found packed in suitcases on a bus from Yulin, Guangxi Province. The babies were purchased in Yulin for $24 (RMB 200) to be resold for $240 to $360 (RMB 1992 to RMB 2988) to families in Anhui and Henan Provinces to work or serve as child brides. The oldest was 5 months of age; one baby died en route. Two leaders of the ring were sen ... [Read More]
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