Barbaric in China- Fines for Illegitimate Children Born out of Wedlock

This is a report explaining China’s policies on the treatment for children born out of wedlock. There are fines imposed, so I guess it is not a stretch of the imagination to assume that if he fine cannot be paid, then a forced abortion is performed, although I have not read of this, just that there are forced abortions in China. China – Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on 8 February 2010. Information re the treatment of children born outside marriage in China. Possibility of the Chinese authorities detecting such a child if family deported to China. The United States Department of States annual report on China states:“In order to delay childbearing, the law sets the minimum marriage age for women at 20 years and for men at 22 years. It continued to be illegal in almost all provinces for a single woman to have a child. In November 2007, Hunan Province adopted new penalties for children conceived out of wedlock, requiring violators to pay 6 to 8 percent of their income from the previous year, in addition to the standard social compensation fee. The law states that family planning bureaus will conduct pregnancy tests on married women and provide them with unspecified “follow-up” services. Some provinces fined women who did not undergo periodic pregnancy tests. For example, in Hebei Province fines ranged from RMB 200 to RMB 500 (approximately $29 to $73), and in Henan Province fines ranged from RMB 50 to RMB 500 ($7 to $73).” (United States Department of State (25 February 2009) China: Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2008) A 2009 query response from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada states: “Article 55 (d) of the Population and Family Planning Regulations of the Province of Guangdong states that “[i]n the case of a first birth out of wedlock, a social support fee shall be imposed that is twice the amount” of the fee imposed on married couples who have one more child than is permitted (China 25 July 2002). When an unwed mother has a second child, the fee imposed is between three to six times the amount levied on married couples who have one more child than is permitted (ibid.). In a 16 October 2008 People’s Daily article, the Director of the Guangdong population and family planning committee indicated that the province experienced a rise in births in the first eight months of 2008 and that the government had ordered authorities to “properly enforce” family planning policies. According to Article 14 of the Population and Family Planning Regulations of the Province of Fujian, a woman is not allowed to give birth out of wedlock (China 30 July 2002). In the case of an unmarried woman who bears a child, Article 39 sets out the application of a social maintenance fee equivalent to four to six times the average annual disposable income of the residents of the county where the woman resides (ibid.). The fine is higher for a second or subsequent child born out of wedlock (ibid.).