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Commentary: Making enforcement of China's birth control policy fair |
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18:48, July 13, 2007 |
China''s birth control policy was again in the spotlight with World Population Day this week, but after almost 30 years, questions should be asked about fairness of its enforcement.
The State Population and Family Planning Commission (SPFPC) on Tuesday reiterated the government''s determination to maintain the birth control policy although population growth has been stabilizing.
The campaign, started in the late 1970s, brought this choice of family life into the public domain. Couples, the government, the community and even employers are all involved and those who violate the law risk incurring large fines.
The policy was upgraded to the Population and Family Planning Law, which came into effect in September 2002.
The government says the law has been effective, citing that China would have had 400 million more people than the present 1.3 billion without the policy. This would be a huge social and financial burden for the country and the world.
But surely these benefits risk being undermined when the great law-abiding majority see the law being flouted by the rich and powerful.
There have been reports of officials, tycoons and celebrities having more than one child over the years. This can undermine the public''s trust in its enforcement unless changes are made to show it is applied across the board.
The birth control law must be more strictly enforced in some circumstances. The argument was reinforced in central China''s Hunan Province this week.
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