NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Human Rights in China

The situation of human rights in the People's Republic of China has been criticized by various sources, particularly Western countries and some international organizations, as being poor in many respects. Past human rights issues include the the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, when 200-3000 civilians were killed and thousands more were injured. The PRC argues that the notion of human rights should include economic standards of living and measures of health and economic prosperity.^{[citation needed]} This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Government of the Peoples Republic of China. ... This article is about Communications in mainland China. ... Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, the goal of health programs has been to provide care to every member of the population and to make maximum use of limited health-care personnel, equipment, and financial resources. ... Continuing to occupy more than half of Chinas population, Rural life in the Peoples Republic of China has a varied range in terms of standard of living and living style. ... Social issues in the Peoples Republic of China in the 21st century are varied. ... The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals, and labour activists in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989. ...

The situation

Multiple sources, including the U.S. State Department's annual People's Republic of China human rights reports, as well as studies from other groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented the PRC's abuses of human rights in violation of internationally recognized norms. The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a pressure group that promotes human rights. ... Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a United States-based international non-government organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...

In March, 2004, an amendment was made to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, stating "The State respects and preserves human rights."^[1] As with other Chinese guarantees of individual liberties in the Constitution, the wording suggests that such liberties are already observed and respected, rather than explicitly prohibiting the government from infringing on such rights (as the United States Constitution does). It was hoped in the West that this heralded a change in attitude from the Communist Party of China, but subsequent violations of human rights and previously established civil rights demonstrated that the amendment had not changed government policy regarding public freedom. The Constitution of the Peoples Republic of China (ä¸åŽäººæ°‘å…±å’Œå›½å®ªæ³•; pinyin: ZhÅnghuÃ¡ RÃ©nmÃn GÃ²nghÃ©guÃ³ XiÃ nfÇŽ) is the highest law within the Peoples Republic of China. ... The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ...

Perspective of the PRC government

Some claim^{[citation needed]} that Chinese society has been authoritarian since ancient times with no equivalent to the democratic traditions of the west. On the other hand the concept of the Mandate of Heaven has also from ancient times given this system a responsiveness that was lacking in Western society until modern times^{[citation needed]}. In particular, the Chinese political discourse since the late 19th Century has centered on the building of a strong state to ensure economic prosperity and social harmony. The Chinese concept of rights, as explained by earlier thinkers such as Liang Qichao, concentrated on the duties and obligations of citizens to ensure a prosperous and powerful state and not the obligation of government to ensure individual liberties espoused by European philosophies.^{[citation needed]} Following this tradition, the Chinese authorities have always emphasized "positive rights" (e.g. food, shelter, clothing) and not "negative rights" (e.g. speech, press, assembly) as the basic rights to be ensured by government^{[citation needed]}. Also, the CPC supports the notion of Democratic Centralism. Image File history File links Circle-question-red. ... Portrait of Liang Qichao (Tung Wah News, 17 April 1901) Liang Qichao (Chinese: æ¢å•Ÿè¶…, LiÃ¡ng QÇchÄo; Courtesy: Zhuoru, å“å¦‚; Pseudonym: Rengong, ä»»å…¬) (February 23, 1873â€“January 19, 1929) was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist during the Qing Dynasty (1644â€“1911) who inspired Chinese scholars with his writings and... Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties, and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist policy inside a political party. ...

The PRC government argues that the notion of human rights should include such as economic standards of living and measures of health and economic prosperity.^[2] In analyzing the situation of human rights in its own nation or abroad, the PRC takes into account social trends such as crime and poverty. In other words, when critiquing its internal situation, it sees the rise in the standard of living of the Chinese people as an indicator of improvement of the human rights situation, and when looking at the situation abroad, often notes the high rate of crime and/or poverty in places reputedly having a high standard of human rights. Thus it must be noted that a significant difference of viewpoints may exist as to what constitutes human rights, making it difficult for direct comparison between analyses from the two sides.

The PRC government acknowledges that the PRC does have significant human rights problems including impartial access to the courts, the use of torture, and lack of due process.^{[citation needed]} However, the government argues that these issues can be and should be addressed within the current one-party political system, and that to push for fundamental change is foolish as it risks the tremendous economic gains that the PRC has accomplished over the last generation.

Unofficially, many Chinese officials hold the unstated belief that as a developing country, China cannot afford the same level of human rights as developed countries. They argue that many Western countries abused human rights (through slavery, child labor and colonial exploit) as they rose to prosperity. Many Chinese people agree with their government that organized religion is a threat to the country and social stability. Some point to the Taiping Rebellion, which was rooted deeply in religion (though praised by the communist government as a patriotic, anti-imperialist movement), which cost millions of lives. Common mistrust of groups seen as "cults" is perhaps an enduring legacy of this conflict, or perhaps the result of generations of government propaganda. Slave redirects here. ... Child laborers coming out of a dye factory, Dhaka, Bangladesh Child labor (or child labour) is the employment of children under an age determined by law or custom. ... It has been suggested that Benign colonialism be merged into this article or section. ... Combatants Qing Empire United Kingdom France (United Kingdom and France join the war later) Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Commanders Xianfeng Emperor Tongzhi Emperor Empress Dowager Cixi Charles George Gordon Frederick Townsend Ward Hong Xiuquan Yang Xiuqing Xiao Chaogui Feng Yunshan Wei Changhui Shi Dakai Li Xiucheng Strength 2,000,000-5...

Views from the United States government

The United States, whose foundation was based on Lockean constructs of government existing solely for defending individual liberties holds the view that there are universal freedoms that cannot be infringed upon. It has criticized China for violating rights it believes must be universally preserved, namely those listed in the United States Bill of Rights. Some claim that Chinese political orthodoxy holds no view of government existing to defend civil liberties, but rather, a strong state existing to ensure a stable society and prosperous economy.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Circle-question-red. ... This article is about John Locke, the English philosopher. ... Image of the United States Bill of Rights from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. ...

In 2003, the United States claimed that despite some positive momentum in that year, and greater signs that the People's Republic of China was willing to engage with the U.S. and others on this topic, there was still serious backsliding. The PRC government has acknowledged in principle the importance of protection of human rights and has purported to take steps to bring its human rights practices into conformity with international norms. Among these steps are signature of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in October 1997 (ratified in March 2001) and signing of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in October 1998 (not yet ratified). In 2002, the PRC released a significant number of political and religious prisoners, and agreed to interact with United Nations experts on torture, arbitrary detention and religion. However, international human rights groups claim that there has been virtually no movement on these promises, with more people being arrested for similar offences subsequently. Such groups maintain that the PRC still has a long way to go in instituting the kind of fundamental systemic change that will protect the rights and liberties of all its citizens. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 2003 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ...

Legal system

The Chinese government recognises that there are problems with the current legal system,^[3] such as:

Other serious problems include the lack of judicial independence, especially as judges are appointed by the State and the judiciary as a whole does not have its own budget.^[5] These problems have led to corruption and the abuse of administrative power. However while the government acknowledges the need for reform, it has yet to agree upon a method to resolve these problems.

Capital punishment

China has the highest number of death penalties in 2005, with 1,770 people executed. Between 1994 and 1999, according to the UN Secretary-General, China, which has the world's largest population of 1.3 billion people, was ranked 7th in terms of the number of executions carried out in comparison to overall population, behind Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Sierra Leone, Kyrgyzstan and Jordan.^[6] Amnesty International claims that official figures are much smaller than the real number, stating that in China the statistics are considered State secrets. Amnesty stated that according to various reports, in 2005 3,400 people were executed. In March of that year, a senior member of the National People’s Congress announced that China executes around 10,000 people per year.^[7] This does not cite any references or sources. ...

There is concern from NGOs and several foreign governments over the number of crimes punishable by death, 68 in all, including some white collar crimes such as embezzlement and tax fraud. India has a similar population to China (1.1 billion), yet rarely uses the death penalty. Furthermore, the inconsistent and sometimes corrupt nature of the legal system in mainland China bring into question the fair application of capital punishment there.^[8]

In January 2007, China's state media announced that all death penalty cases will be reviewed by the Supreme People's Court. Since 1983, China's highest court did not review all cases. This marks a return to China's pre-1983 policy.[5]

Organ harvesting and extrajudicial execution

In recent years, there have been allegations that executed prisoners have had their organs harvested for transplants, which were sold to both Chinese and foreign nationals.^[9]^[10] Main article: Allegation of Organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China ...

China's deputy health minister has officially admitted, after previous denials, that organs were harvested from executed prisoners and that regulations were needed to "standardise" the practice. An American who flew to Shanghai to have such a transplant performed on his wife, said the prisoners had to give their consent before their organs could be removed.^[11]

In July 2006, David Kilgour, a former Canadian Cabinet minister and a human rights lawyer, and David Matas, also a human rights lawyer, released a report about allegations of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. Far from getting consent in all cases, the report claimed, China was secretly mass-murdering Falun Gong practitioners, in order to harvest their organs for lucrative sale to wealthy patients - often foreigners. After being killed and having their organs removed, the report alleged, the victim's body would be incinerated to destroy the evidence.^[12] This report has been the subject of controversy and has been disputed by fellow anti-Chinese government activist Harry Wu. Beijing denies the allegations without addressing their content. Hon. ... Professor Harry Wu (in Chinese Wu Hongda å³å¼˜é”) (born 1937) is an activist for human rights in the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Ethnic minorities

There are 55 recognized ethnic minorities in China. Article 4 of the Chinese constitution states "All nationalities in the People's Republic of China are equal", and the government has made efforts to improve ethnic education and increased ethnic representation in local government. The government maintains that it runs affirmative action policies towards ethnic minorities, though the benefits of these are disputed. Also minorities are exempt from China's One-child policy. Ethnolinguistic map of China The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is a multi-ethnic unitary state and, as such, officially recognizes 56 nationalities or mÃnzÃº (æ°‘æ—), within China: the Han being the majority (>92%), and the remaining 55 nationalities being the national minorities. ... Affirmative action refers to policies intended to promote access to education or employment aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minorities or women). ... Poster of Chinese birth control policy under the slogan Sweet Achievement. ...

Also, the government has encouraged significant numbers of people of Han nationality to move into ethnic areas, especially after the China Western Development plan was adopted. The government argues that this was designed to boost the underdeveloped western regions, but has also been perceived by some as an effort to "water down" the ethnic minority population and make such regions less inclined towards separatism. China Western Development (è¥¿éƒ¨å¤§å¼€å‘ Pinyin: XÄ«bÃ¹ DÃ kÄifÄ), also Chinas Western Development or Western China Development, is a policy adopted by the Peoples Republic of China to boost its underdeveloped western regions. ...

The government is harsh toward those that argue for independence or political autonomy, mainly Tibetans and Uigurs in rural provinces in the west of China. Five Chinese Uighur detainees from Guantanamo were released in June, 2007, but the United States refused to return them to China citing the People's Republic of China's "past treatment of the Uigur minority".^[13]In present day, some claim that the PRC is keeping a strong military force on these parts of the country in an effort to suppress separatist sentiment, as well as keeping the strong security of the border, due to past frictions with India and Russia.^{[citation needed]} Uyghurs (also called Uighurs, Uygurs, or Uigurs) (Chinese: 維吾爾 or 维吾尔 in pinyin: wéiwúěr) are a Turkic ethnic group of people living in northwestern China (mainly in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where they are the dominant ethnic group together with Han people... Guantanamo (Spanish spelling: GuantÃ¡namo) is a city in southeast Cuba, capital of the GuantÃ¡namo Province. ...

The Dalai Lama originally pushed for independence for Tibet, but he changed his position when it was clear that this was not a realistic objective. Instead he has called for full autonomy.^[14] Negotiation between Dalai Lama and the Chinese government has been difficult, and although contact has taken place between representatives, nothing has been agreed. Commentators have said that Chinese officials may be waiting for the Dalai Lama to die, as they believe Tibetans will not be a problem afterwards. Yet they also say that this may result in Tibetan political sentiment becoming more dangerous and violent, as the Dalai Lama has consistently argued for peaceful protests against Chinese rule.^[15] The 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso (1876-1933). ... Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: à½–à½¼à½‘à¼‹; Wylie: Bod; Lhasa dialect IPA: [; Simplified and Traditional Chinese: è¥¿è—, Hanyu Pinyin: XÄ«zÃ ng; also referred to as è—åŒº (Simplified Chinese), è—å€ (Traditional Chinese), ZÃ ngqÅ« (Hanyu Pinyin), see Name section below) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. ...

Political freedom

The PRC is known for its intolerance of organized dissent towards the government. Dissident groups are routinely arrested and imprisoned, often for long periods of time and without trial.^{[citation needed]} Incidents of torture, forced confessions and forced labour are widely reported. Freedom of assembly and association are extremely limited in many cases. The Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, the estimated death toll of which ranges from 200 to 2,600 and injuries from 7,000 to 10,000^{[citation needed]}, is probably the most famous example of this kind of abuse. The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals, and labour activists in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989. ...

Freedom of speech

The 1982 constitution guarantees freedom of speech: Censorship in the Peoples Republic of China refers to the government of the Peoples Republic of Chinas policy of controlling the publishing, dissemination, and viewing of certain information. ... Within the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), there is heavy government involvement in the media, with many of the largest media organizations (namely CCTV, the Peoples Daily, and Xinhua) being agencies of the government of the PRC. There are certain taboos and red lines within the media in...

However, censorship is widespread in China. There is heavy government involvement in the media, with many of the largest media organizations being run by the government. Chinese law forbids the advocation of independence or self-determination for territories Beijing considers under its jurisdiction, as well as public challenge to the CCP's monopoly in ruling China. Thus references to democracy, the free Tibet movement, Taiwan as an independent state, certain religious organizations and anything remotely questioning the legitimacy of the Communist Party of China are banned from use in publications and blocked on the Internet. PRC journalist He Qinglian in her 2004 book Media Control in China^[16] examined government controls on the Internet in China^[17] and on all media. Her book shows how PRC media controls rely on confidential guidance from the Communist Party propaganda department, intense monitoring, and punishment for violators rather than on pre-publication censorship. Censorship is defined as the removal and/or withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body. ... Self-determination is a principle in international law that a people ought to be able to determine their own governmental forms and structure free from outside influence. ... Internet censorship in the Peoples Republic of China is conducted under a wide variety of laws and administrative regulations. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

Recently, foreign web portals including Microsoft's MSN have come under criticism for aiding in these practices, including banning the word "Democracy" from its chat-rooms in China. Some North American or European films are not given permission to play in Chinese theatres, although piracy of the same movies is widespread. [7] [8] [9]

Freedom of movement

In most parts of China, citizens must register an official place of residence designated either rural or urban. To resettle from one place to another, the citizen needs permission from the authorities at the destination and/or origin. One purpose is to prevent the possible chaos caused by the predictable large scale urbanization. It is alleged that people of Han nationality in Tibet have a far easier time acquiring the necessary permits to live in urban areas than ethnic Tibetans do.^[18] A hÃ¹kÇ’u (Chinese: ) or hÃ¹jÃ (Chinese: ) refers to residency permits (household registration) issued in mainland China (by the Peoples Republic of China) and Taiwan (by the Republic of China). ...

Also as a result of the one country, two systems policy initiated in the late 20th century, Chinese citizens must gain permission from the government to travel to the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao. One country, two systems (Simplified Chinese: ä¸€å›½ä¸¤åˆ¶; Traditional Chinese: ä¸€åœ‹å…©åˆ¶; pinyin: yÃ¬; guÃ³ liÇŽng zhÃ¬; Jyutping: jat1 gwok3 loeng5 zai3; Yale: yÄt gwok leÃºhng jai), is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), for the unification of China. ... A Special Administrative Region (SAR) (Simplified Chinese: 特别行政区; Traditional Chinese: 特別行政區; pinyin: tèbié xíngzhèngqū; Cantonese IPA: /tɐk6piːt6 hɐŋ4tsɪŋ3kʰɵy1/; Jyutping: dak6bit6 hang4zing3keoi1; Yale: dahkbiht hàhngjingke...

Religious freedom

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), religious affairs of all types was persecuted and discouraged by the Communists with many religious buildings looted and destroyed. Since then, there have been efforts to repair, reconstruct and protect historical and cultural religious sites, partly to encourage tourism. [10] Critics say that not enough has been done to repair or restore damaged and destroyed sites. [11] Chinese monk lighting incense in a temple in Beijing. ... The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; literally Proletarian Cultural Great Revolution; often abbreviated to æ–‡åŒ–å¤§é©å‘½ wÃ©nhuÃ dÃ gÃ©mÃ¬ng, literally Great Cultural Revolution, or even simpler, to æ–‡é© wÃ©ngÃ©, Cultural Revolution) in the Peoples Republic of China was a struggle for power within the...

This freedom is subject to restrictions, as all religious groups must be registered with the government and are prohibited from having loyalties outside of China. The government argues that such restriction is necessary to prevent foreign political influence eroding Chinese sovereignty, though groups affected by this deny that they have any desire to interfere in China's political affairs. This has led to an effective prohibition on those religious practices that by definition involve allegiance to a foreign spiritual leader or organisation, (e.g. Catholicism - see Catholicism in China) although tacit allegiance to such individuals and bodies inside these groups is not uncommon. "Unregistered religious groups ... experience varying degrees of official interference, harassment, and repression."[13] Topics in Christianity Movements Â· Denominations Ecumenism Â· Preaching Â· Prayer Music Â· Liturgy Â· Calendar Symbols Â· Art Â· Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul Â· Church Fathers Constantine Â· Athanasius Â· Augustine Anselm Â· Aquinas Â· Palamas Â· Wycliffe Tyndale Â· Luther Â· Calvin Â· Wesley Arius Â· Marcion of Sinope Pope Â· Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box: As a Christian ecclesiastical... Catholicism in China has a long and complicated history. ...

Another problem is that members of the Communist Party have to be atheists according to the Party's constitution. As Party membership is required for many high level careers, being openly religious can limit one's economic prospects. For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ...

Falun Gong

In July 1999, the Chinese government declared the Falun Gong movement illegal and started suppressing its activities across the country. The government claims the group to be an "evil cult" that performs "illegal acts". Critics of the government allege that the crackdown was motivated by fear of its growing number of practitioners, particularly government officials, police and army officers. A peaceful demonstration of about 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners (in response to arrest of several dozen practitioners in Tianjin and prohibition of publishing Falun Gong materials) earlier in 1999 outside Zhongnanhai is thought to have been the trigger for the crackdown. Falun Gong, (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally Practice of the Wheel of Law) also known as Falun Dafa, (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; lit. ... Falun Gong, (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally Practice of the Wheel of Law) also known as Falun Dafa, (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; lit. ... (Chinese: ; pinyin: TiÄnjÄ«n; Postal map spelling: Tientsin) is one of the four municipalities of the Peoples Republic of China. ... An aerial view of Zhongnanhai The Zhongnanhai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ZhÅngnÃ¡nhÄƒi) is a complex of buildings in Beijing, China which serves as the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China and the government of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Practitioners that have been arrested report being beaten and tortured, and the Falun Dafa Information Center, a website run by Falun Gong practitioners, claims at least 3000 practitioners have died in police custody. The Chinese government alleges that Falun Gong fabricates news, that its practitioners are not tortured, nor go on hunger strikes. ^[19] Amnesty International and other major human rights organizations, have generally sided with Falun Gong in their reports of the persecution.^[20]

Critics decry the persecution of Falun Gong as infringing on the freedom of religion, as well as claiming that it is widely known that systematic torture of Falun Gong practitioners exists. [14] The issue was a subject of protests when Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the United States in 2006, though such protests were censored from Chinese media coverage of the visit.^[21] The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen guarantees freedom of religion, as long as religious activities do not infringe on public order in ways detrimental to society. ...

In July 2006, a report co-authored by former Canadian cabinet minister David Kilgour and prominent rights lawyer David Matas expressed grave concerns that internal organs are being harvested from Chinese political prisoners, particularly Falun Gong adherents, for the lucrative sale of organs to foreign buyers. [15] The Chinese government has dismissed the report as "a 'groundless and biased' Falun Gong smear effort". Manfred Nowak, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture, has listed the following allegation in an addendum to his annual report in March 2007 composed of 341 allegations: "Organ harvesting has been inflicted on a large number of unwilling Falun Gong practitioners at a wide variety of locations for the purpose making available organs for transplant operations. Vital organs including hearts, kidneys, livers and corneas were systematically harvested from Falun Gong practitioners at [Sujiatun] Hospital, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, beginning in 2001. The practitioners were given injections to induce heart failure, and therefore were killed in the course of the organ harvesting operations or immediately thereafter."^[22] (See: Organ harvesting in China) Manfred Nowak is an Austrian human rights lawyer. ... Main article: Allegation of Organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China ...

One-child policy

Although the Chinese government argues that this policy is necessary to stop overpopulation, China's birth control policy, known widely as the One-Child Policy, is seen as morally objectionable by many foreign observers, as well as some Chinese. Such critics argue that it contributes to female infanticide, abandonment and sex selective abortions. These are believed to be relatively commonplace in some areas of the country, despite being illegal and punishable by fines and jail time [16]. This is thought to have been a significant contribution to the gender imbalance in mainland China, where there is a 118 to 100 ratio of male to female children reported, although underreported female births may reduce this figure. Forced abortions and sterilizations have also been reported [17]. Poster of Chinese birth control policy under the slogan Sweet Achievement. ... Map of countries by population density (See List of countries by population density. ... Birth control is a regimen of one or more actions, devices, or medications followed in order to deliberately prevent or reduce the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant or giving birth. ... Poster of Chinese birth control policy under the slogan Sweet Achievement. ...

It is also argued that the one child policy is not effective enough to justify its costs, and that the dramatic decrease in Chinese fertility started before the program began in 1979 for unrelated factors. The policy seems to have had little impact on rural areas (home to about 80% of the population), where birth rates never dropped below 2.5 children per female [18]. Nevertheless, the Chinese government and others estimate that at least 250 million births have been prevented by the policy [19].

In 2002, the laws related to the One Child Policy were amended to allow ethnic minorities and Chinese living in rural areas to have more than one child. The policy was generally not enforced in those areas of the country even before this. The policy has been relaxed in urban areas to allow people who were single children to have two children. [20]

Economic and social improvement

Mainland China's economic growth and reform since 1978 has improved dramatically the lives of a huge number of Chinese, providing increased social mobility and expanded the scope of personal freedom. This has meant substantially greater freedom of travel, employment opportunity, educational and cultural pursuits, job and housing choices, and access to information for the newly emerging Chinese middle class. In all, this suggests a substantial rise in the quality of life and standard of living of the Chinese people. ...

In recent years, the PRC has also passed new criminal and civil laws that provide additional safeguards to citizens. Village elections have been ostensibly carried out in approximately 80% of mainland China's one million villages. However subsequent disputes concerning such elections, including events at the village of Taishi, have raised questions about their value. An election is a decision making process whereby people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ... Taishi village (å¤ªçŸ³æ‘) is a small hamlet (population about 2,000), in the Panyu district of Guangzhou, China. ...

Other human rights issues

Worker's rights and privacy are other contentious human rights issues in China. There have been several reports of core International Labor Organization conventions being denied to workers. One such report was released by the International Labor Rights Fund in October 2006 documenting minimum wage violations, long work hours, and inappropriate actions towards workers by management.^[23] Workers cannot form their own unions in the workplace, only being able to join State-sanctioned ones. The extent to which these organizations can fight for the rights of Chinese workers is disputed.^[24] For other meanings of the ILO abbreviation, see ILO (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Although the Chinese government does not interfere with Chinese people's privacy as much as it used to,^[25] it still deems it necessary to keep tabs on what people say in public. Internet forums are strictly monitored, as is international postal mail (this is sometimes "delayed" inexplicably or "disappeared") and e-mail.^[26]^{[neutrality disputed]}

The issue of refugees from North Korea is a recurring one. It is official policy to repatriate them to North Korea, but the policy is not evenly enforced and a considerable number of them stay in the People's Republic (some move on to other countries). Though it is in contravention of international law to deport political refugees, as illegal immigrants their situation is precarious. Their rights are not always protected.^[27] Some of them are tricked into marriage or prostitution.^[28]

References

^ China Amends Constitution to Guarantee Human Rights By Edward Cody
^ Human rights can be manifested differently
^ "Belkin, Ira" (Fall, 2000). "China's Criminal Justice System: A Work in Progress". Washington Journal of Modern China 6 (2).
^ Varieties of Conflict of Laws in China (2002-11-25). Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
^ Yardley, Jim (2005-11-28). A young judge tests China's legal system. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
^ SINGAPORE The death penalty: A hidden toll of executions
^ Amnesty International's report on China
^ The Death Penalty in 2005
^ China makes ultimate punishment mobile
^ China harvesting inmates' organs, journalist says By Bill Gertz
^ China 'using prisoner organs for transplants' by David Fickling
^ China harvesting Falun Gong organs, report alleges
^ The New York Times International, Sunday June 10, 2007, page 12
^ The Dalai Lama, A conversation with Robert Thurman
^ Tim Luard (Tuesday, 25 April 2006). "Fathoming Tibet's political future". BBC News.
^ [1] Media Control in China published in Chinese in 2004 by Human Rights in China, New York. Revised edition 2006 published by Liming Cultural Enterprises of Taiwan. Accessed February 4, 2007.
^ [2] "The Hijacked Potential of China's Internet", English translation of a chapter in the 2006 revised edition of Media Control in China published in Chinese by Liming Enterprises of Taiwan in 2006. Accessed February 4, 2007
^ Racial Discrimination in Tibet (2000). Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.
^ Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Independent State of Papua New Guinea: Press Release -- Hunger Strike and Torture: Rumors Spread by Falun Gong [3]
^ Amnesty International: Falun Gong persecution factsheet [4]
^ How the Snags in the Hu-Bush Visit Play in China by Anthony Kuhn. All Things Considered, April 21, 2006.
^ United Nations: Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Manfred Nowak, 20 March 2007.
^ Wal-Mart in China: Rolling Back Labor Rights by International Labor Rights Fund, October 2006
^ Overview of human rights issues in china
^ The long march to privacy
^ Overview of human rights issues in china
^ HRW: North Koreans in People's Republic of China
^ An Absence of Choice: The sexual exploitation of North Korean women in China by Norma Kang Muico, Anti-Slavery International 2005.

Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 332nd day of the year (333rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Manfred Nowak is an Austrian human rights lawyer. ...

Contents

The situation

Perspective of the PRC government

Views from the United States government

Legal system

Capital punishment

Organ harvesting and extrajudicial execution

Ethnic minorities

Political freedom

Freedom of speech

Freedom of movement

Religious freedom

Falun Gong

One-child policy

Economic and social improvement

Other human rights issues

References

See also

External links

General links

Video

Contents

The situation GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Perspective of the PRC government

Views from the United States government

Legal system

Capital punishment

Organ harvesting and extrajudicial execution

Ethnic minorities

Political freedom

Freedom of speech

Freedom of movement

Religious freedom

Falun Gong

One-child policy

Economic and social improvement

Other human rights issues

References

See also

External links

General links

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The situation