Opinion

Invisible children

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-16 07:37

They are the undocumented children of the country. In other words, they were born and raised in secrecy, that is, without being registered with the government.

But when the sixth census starts later this year, these children, born outside China's one-child family planning policy, will become eligible for household registration cards. This will enable policymakers to get the real picture of China's population, too. And based on true figures, they can then work out plans for the country's development.

The second child usually has had a rough ride since the government implemented the one-child policy. In urban areas, they don't even have a birth certificate, let alone household registration. As a result, they have met with obstruction at almost every step of their lives. They could not get admission to public schools, or find government jobs after they grew up.

Though the restrictions have become much relaxed in recent years, they were still "undocumented". But now the government has begun looking at these children differently and granting them official status. These "invisible" children are on way to becoming "visible" and getting their rights.

The government implemented the one-child family planning policy in the late 1970s to control the country's burgeoning population. The policy allows urban couples to have just one child. Rural families, however, can have a second child if the first is a girl.

(China Daily 06/16/2010 page4)