China’s “Black Children” Will come Out of the Shadows

But is it a case of too little, too late?

by Steven W. Mosher
Population Research Institute

For 25 long years Ah Fan has lived in the shadows. Conceived by her parents before they were of a legal age to marry and have children, government officials demanded that she be aborted. Instead, her mother went into hiding and gave birth to her in secret.

Her parents could have registered her birth—if they had been willing and able to pay a huge fine. As seasonal factory workers, they simply did not have the money.

Instead, Ah Fan joined the ranks of the “black children.” These are the millions of children conceived and born in violation of the one-child policy who do not exist in the eyes of the government. They are, in a very real sense, undocumented aliens in their own native land.

Because they are not registered with the government, such children are not eligible for medical care or dental care at government-run clinics and hospitals. They are also not eligible to enroll in government-run day cares or schools. As a result, many grow up sickly and illiterate.

When, like Ah Fan, they finally reach maturity, they cannot get a government job—or any job, really—since they do not have what is called a hukou. These are government-issued “household registration” documents that identify them as citizens. Sort of like a birth certificate, social security card, work permit, and internal passport all rolled up into one. Without a “household registration,” no one will hire them except employers looking for cheap day labor with little scrutiny from the government. Such laborers receive little pay and no benefits.

This is now about to change, according to Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping. Secretary Xi has just announced that Ah Fan and millions like her will finally be allowed to register, presumably without paying a huge fine, and will then receive the treasured hukou documents that allow them to legally reside, go to school, and work in the cities where they already live.

Read the full article HERE.

 The Population Research Institute is a non-profit research group whose goals are to expose the myth of overpopulation, to expose human rights abuses committed in population control programs, and to make the case that people are the world’s greatest resource. Our growing, global network of pro-life groups spans over 30 countries. For more information, please use this link.