Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you. China announced the end of its hugely controversial one-child policy on Thursday, after decades of strict, sometimes brutal enforcement left it with an ageing population and shrinking workforce. Source: Ng Han Guan. All couples will be allowed two children, but the decision comes too late for a generation of Chinese in a country where large families are typically valued as social safety nets.
Though ordinary people risked heavy fines in China for each additional child, government employees who broke the rules faced the sack, and ostracism by their colleagues. They were caught between Party duty and a steadfast belief in traditional values, but as a family of policy enforcers, they could never have flouted the rule themselves.
Across China, a centuries-old social preference for boys led to sex-selective abortions and infanticide targeting girls in the wake of the one-child policy.
Campaigners say the new two-child policy does not end the principle of government control over reproduction, and that forced sterilisations and abortions may continue so long as caps remain on family size. Open journalism No news is bad news Support The Journal Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you. Nanny Shi Xinmei, 51, recalled harsh enforcement of the policy in her home town of Zhumadian in Henan Province.
Forced abortions continue even today. As recently as , there was a global outcry over bloody photos of a Chinese woman forced to undergo an abortion seven months into her pregnancy after failing to pay a 40, yuan fine. There were small compensations for those who fell in line. Sun and his wife both came from large families, with four and five siblings each, and wanted the same security for their daughter, choosing for her a husband from a family of five.
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Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for the content of external websites. But despite having a son already in a society that preferences male children , she desperately wanted a second baby. Kan's mother only revealed her pregnancy to her husband and close family members. She was worried about the official registration of her second child. At the time, it was common for couples to register their second child under the name of a relative who had no children.
That way, fines could be avoided and a "hukou" — an official registration document that allows the person access to education and medical care — could be applied for. Susan's mother gave birth to her longed-for son and a month later her father went to register the baby. Without a relative to use as cover, Susan's parents were fearful of the penalty they may face. To her father's relief, he was told that the baby could be registered without receiving a fine.
In , China had introduced a system of planned purchase and supply to monopolise the selling and buying of grain and oil. Every Chinese family received grain ration coupons from the government that were distributed according to the age and number of family members. A second child was not included. As he grew, Susan's family had to pay steep market prices to buy additional grain for their son. It was a major financial sacrifice for the family. Susan's family still does not understand why authorities overlooked the birth of the little boy and did not issue a fine, like in Ming Ming's case.
Perhaps they felt sorry for the family — some people in China still consider a daughter to be bad fortune compared with a son which has led to other social problems. The one-child policy was strictly enforced in eastern and north-eastern China , but local governments in middle provinces such as Shaanxi and Shanxi were often more flexible.
Perhaps because of this flexibility, it was surprisingly common for families in Susan's town to have more than one child. When her cousin was 10 years old, Zhang's aunt and uncle decided to try for another baby.
Eight months into the pregnancy, the couple went to stay with another aunt to hide before the birth. Someone reported them. He gave my aunt an injection to induce her and two days later, she delivered a stillborn baby. Zhang's aunt, now 46, has missed her chance to try for a second child now that the policy has changed, but she mourns for the chance she lost and the brutal way her second child was taken from her.
Apart from forced abortions, family planning authorities kept details of the menstrual cycles of women of childbearing age — pelvic examination results and blood tests. Most women were fitted with IUDs and summonsed for mandatory tests every three months.
But despite witnessing the brutality of these policies up close, Zhang's desire for more than one child was stronger than the fear of facing what her aunt had gone through. Women would often cheat and have a non-pregnant friend or relative do the test, Zhang says. Medical records also show that twins and triplets are more susceptible to some diseases.
Members of the association will enjoy free insurance for education and free medical treatment. Families with financial difficulties can receive aid from the association. Twins and triplets under the age of three will be provided with free baby food regularly. The baby food company has offered financial aid to 10 multiple-delivery families since This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints.
This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request. Hebei Ribao [Shijiazhuang, in Chinese]. The Washington Times. James Harding.
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