One-child Policy to be eased in China, Labor Camps Abolished, State Media Reports
By: Aaron Williams
Beijing, China- The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported this morning that after long talks of country reform, the government is looking to unwind its one child per couple rule. The proposal comes from a week of meetings between the governing members of the Communist Party.
Chinese officials also plan to shutdown labor camp activities in hopes of improving human rights and stimulating the economy by incorporating private sector entities.
The population policy was introduced in 1979 and implemented the same year. According to a 2011 People’s Daily publication, between 1979 and 2011 there were 400 million birth preventions. Without family planning laws in place, the country’s population would have already exceeded 1.7 billion.
The policy became controversial due to ongoing concerns of social negligence and lack of focus on alleviating economic and environmental issues. The law was once applauded for controlling the country’s population growth, but then condemned due to the increased number of forced abortions and fines for families with an additional child.
In a 2007 comment from a member of the policy’s committee, roughly 36 percent of China’s population was subject to a one-child restriction. Most of China’s urban families have to adhere to the policy. The Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau are exempt from the policy; foreigners living in China are also exempt from this law.
Xinhua tells CNN that the policy will be “slightly relaxed” whereas couples may have a second child as long as one of the parents was an only child.
The labor camps go as far back as 1950. The Chinese autocracy under Mao Zedong adopted the notion that “reform through labor” would industrialize modern China via “non-tried” imprisoned persons. China’s Ministry of Justice reports to CNN that 160,000 people were held in 350 camp centers around the nation; the United Nations adds that the number may be as large as 190,000.
As China moves into further reform, the government will also consider lessening the punishment for some crimes and offenses that currently result in the death penalty.
