China has vowed to link family issues with the national development
agenda and UN Millennium Development Goals to ensure sustainable
and coordinated growth.
Gu Xiulian, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress, made the remarks at the four-day World
Family Summit which began yesterday in Sanya, Hainan
Province.
The country's social security system is under pressure from many
changes in family structure, especially the rapid transformation
from extended to nuclear families, said Gu.
Other changes include an increase in poor urban families and an
unbalanced sex ratio at birth.
Last year, nearly 22 million urban people, mainly women and
children, had low-income levels, according to the National
Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC).
"The status of women in both the family and society needs to be
further improved," noted Gu.
She said the Law on Protection of Women's Rights and Benefits,
currently being amended, will give more comprehensive consideration
to women's rights and include provisions against family violence,
for example.
Gu also called for further efforts to improve reproductive
health services for adolescents, migrants and marginalized
groups.
"We are facing pressing challenges in curbing the spread of
HIV/AIDS and reducing unwanted pregnancies, especially unwanted
pregnancies and unsafe abortions among adolescents," she said.
Experts echoed that there is strong evidence showing family
units are becoming another important medium of HIV
transmission.
"Almost half of people with HIV in China are women, many of whom
were infected by their husbands and transmit the virus to their
children," said Jing Jun, professor with Tsinghua
University.
"It is not that easy to prevent HIV transmission between a
couple if one party has multiple unprotected sexual relations."
Khalid Malik, UN resident coordinator in China, added that the
movement of migrants within the country is unprecedented in global
history and has huge implications for the families affected.
"It is estimated that there are around 120 to 140 million rural
migrants across the country - which means about 24 to 28 million
immediate families could be affected by migration (based on 5
members per family), not even counting extended families," said
Malik.
With regard to future family structures in China, Gu said
smaller families may be one of the leading trends.
NPFPC Vice-Minister Zhao Baige gave an account of four upcoming
changes in Chinese family issues.
First, due to the effect of globalization in terms of economy
and information technology, greater attention will be paid to their
impact on family growth, she said.
Second, women will play a more important role in families as
they are empowered with more say in economic and social issues.
In addition, gender equality will be better emphasized in family
development, she said. And a wider participation of males in family
affairs will be encouraged.
Last, further light will be shed upon a coordinated relationship
between economic and social growth and family development.
"It should be remembered that every member of a family is
endowed to benefit from social development, including elders and
children," noted Zhao.
Aware of new kinds of families such as those with one parent or
same sex couples, Zhao emphasized that the government will continue
to promote the leading role of mainstream culture in the society,
while showing more tolerance to other family forms.
The summit, held between December 6 and 9, has attracted more
than 300 participants from 48 countries.
It aims to pass a Sanya Declaration and urged the UN to
integrate a family perspective into its fifth anniversary review of
its Millennium Development Goals.
A wide range of topics linking family issues with UN goals, such
as sustainable development, poverty eradication, education,
HIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive and maternal health, are to be
discussed.
(China Daily December 7, 2004)
