[ 2013-12-28 ]

China reforms one-child policy
China's top legislature has formally adopted a
resolution easing the country's one-child policy,
the state news agency Xinhua reports.

The Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress passed a resolution allowing couples to
have two children if either parent is an only
child.

A proposal to abolish re-education through labour
camps was also approved.

The changes in policy were announced following a
meeting of top Communist Party officials in
November.

The reforms, which came at the end of a six-day
meeting of the congress, have already been tested
in parts of the country.

They needed formal legislative approval to be put
into effect.

'Leftover men'
China introduced its one-child policy at the end
of the 1970s to curb rapid population growth.

But correspondents say the policy has become
increasingly unpopular and that leaders fear the
country's ageing population will both reduce the
labour pool and exacerbate elderly care issues.

By 2050, more than a quarter of the population
will be over 65.

The one-child policy has on the whole been
strictly enforced, though some exceptions already
exist, including for ethnic minorities.

The traditional preference for boys has created a
gender imbalance as some couples opt for
sex-selective abortions.

By the end of the decade, demographers say China
will have 24 million "leftover men" who, because
of China's gender imbalance, will not be able to
find a wife.

The decision to close the labour camps puts an end
to a controversial punishment system long
criticised for its human rights abuses.

State media said the development of China's legal
system had made the camps "superfluous" and
signalled the end of their "historic mission".

Chinese leaders had previously said they wanted to
reform the system.

The network, which was created in the 1950s based
on the Soviet Gulag, allowed the Chinese police to
send anyone to prison for up to four years without
a trial.

A labour camp sentence was almost impossible to
appeal.

China had 260 labour camps holding 160,000 inmates
at the start of this year, according to figures
from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
Watch.

Correspondents say most of the detainees were
arrested for drug offences - either selling or
buying small quantities of illegal narcotics.

Some of the labour camps are expected to be
transformed into drug rehabilitation centres.

Source - BBC

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