The State Council Working Committee on Women and Children
May 9, 2000
This year is the fifth anniversary of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women convened in Beijing. Five years ago, at the grand gathering, participants discussed the major issues in the immediate interests of women on the theme of equality, development and peace, passed Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action on speeding up the implementation of Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women by 2000, and proposed the strategic objectives and concrete actions on the 12 critical areas of concern by the end of 2000.
During the past five years, the Chinese government along with other countries in the world has been carrying out Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action following the aim and spirit of FWCW. China has made achievements in implementing the basic state policy of equality between men and women, protecting the rights and interests of women, advancing women's status and promoting the overall development of women. Great impetus has been given to the development and progress of Chinese women.
I.Formulating the Program for the Development of Chinese Women (1995~2000)--the national plan for the implementation of BPFA.
In order to fulfil the commitment to CEDAW and accelerate the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies, before the convening of FWCW, the Chinese government formulated and promulgated the Program for the Development of Chinese Women (1995-2000) (hereinafter referred to as the Program). The Program is worked out in light of the national plan for the economic and social development and the present situation of women's development, and by reference to the draft BPFA. It sets out tasks and 11 objectives in the field of women's political participation, employment, labor rights protection, education, health care, poverty alleviation and legal protection. That marks the official initiation of the implementation of the follow-up actions to FWCW. Since then, specific plans for the implementation were made out by the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Culture, the State Statistical Bureau, the State Family Planning Commission and other government departments respectively. The local governments of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government and of the most prefectures, cities and counties of the country also drew up their own programs.
II.Taking effective measures to push the implementation of the Program for the Development of Chinese Women
--Enacting laws and regulations, and establishing mechanism to protect by law the rights and interests of women and children. Since 1990, the state has successively formulated the Law for the Protection of the Minors (1991), Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women (1992), Law on Maternal and Infant Health Care (1994), Law on the Protection of the Disabled People (1990), Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly (1996) and other laws. In 1997, the National People's Congress amended the Law of Criminal Suit and the Criminal Law, supplementing a series of regulations for the protection of women and children. All of the laws provide legal protection for the rights and interests of women and children. Each relevant department established various kinds of mechanism for the protection of the rights and interests of women and children. The People's Congress, the court, the public security and administrative departments set up a joint conference system for safeguarding the rights, and local courts also established different kinds of tribunals for the protection of women and children and a jury system taken part in by personalities of various circles. Government and non-governmental organizations provide different forms of legal aid to women and children. --Strengthening the national mechanism for promoting women's status and enabling the institutional guarantee to the implementation of the Program. The State Council Working Committee on Women and Children (SCWCWC), set up in 1990, is the national machinery in China for promoting women's status. In 1998, Chinese government, undergoing a large-scale reshuffling of the institutional staff, not only kept SCWCWC, but also increased the members of SCWCWC from 19 before FWCW to 29 at present--24 from government departments and 5 from non-governmental organizations. Working institutions for women and children were established in all the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, and in 80% prefectures, cities and counties of the country. --Reinforcing government's administration over women's work. SCWCWC held two national meetings on the work of women and children in 1996 and in 1999 respectively to discuss and dispose the tasks concerning woman-and-child issues. At the meeting held in Hangzhou in 1999, the achievements and experiences from the three-year implementation of the Program were exchanged, the measures taken for realizing the objective of the Program as scheduled by the end of the century defined, and the tasks for woman-and-child affairs at the beginning of next century determined. At the Third Session of the Ninth National People's Congress this year, Premier Zhu Rongji pointed out in his government report: "to conscientiously put into effect the Program for the Development of Chinese Women". Local governments at all levels integrated the work on women and children into their agenda, and guaranteed by all means the inputs of human, material and financial resources. --Strengthening the capacity building of the leaders at all levels through various training for the implementation of the Program. During the past five years, the central and local governments have organized 176 training courses for leading cadres and key members, and nearly 30,000 people have been trained. SCWCWC only has trained 800 county magistrates. --Enhancing the efforts of implementation and ensuring the basic realization of objectives set in the Program by 2000. Stress has been put on the rural areas, especially on the poor areas in the middle and west areas and minority nationality areas, and on important or difficult indices, such as education, maternal and child health care, improvement of water supplier and toilet facilities. SCWCWC carried out pilot projects in 88 poor counties of 10 provinces (or autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the central government) in southwest and northwest China. The education of girl child, health care for mothers and children, and the condition of public hygiene is greatly improved. At the same time, SCWCWC pays much attention to the realization of objectives in the Program and maintaining the work result in the developed areas of east China so as to bring into play their exemplary role to the whole country. SCWCWC also pays close attention to dealing with new situations, solving new problems and strengthening the protection of the rights and interests. --Working out index system for monitoring and evaluation, carrying out monitoring and evaluation of the implementation periodically. To control, accurately and in time, the implementation of the Program, supervise and speed up the fulfillment and completion of the set objectives, SCWCWC established a leading group for monitoring and evaluation of the Program, monitoring group for statistics and expert group for evaluation, and formulated the plan and index system for monitoring and evaluation. Periodic monitoring and evaluation to the implementation of the Program have been made. At present, the 1995-1998 mid-term monitoring and evaluation work has been completed, and the national and provincial reports on monitoring and evaluation finished. To improve and reinforce gender desegregated data and analysis, the state data bank for woman's statistics and information-transmitting system are in full operation.III.The Chinese government has made achievements in implementing the Program in the past five years.
With five year's efforts, conditions for the survival, protection and development of the Chinese women have been greatly improved, and their rights in political participation, employment, education, health care, marriage and family life have been effectively protected. The overall competence of women has been greatly promoted.
--The extent and scope of women's political participation are strengthened and widened. Women deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National Congress of the Communist Party are increased respectively by 0.8, 2.0 and 1.1 points of percentage. The objective has been realized that there are women holding posts in the leading bodies of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, and the number of woman cadres at provincial level is grown by 46.5% compared with that five years ago. There is at least one woman member in the leading bodies of 94% prefectures, cities, autonomous prefectures and leagues, and that of 91.8% counties, towns, districts and banners. --Opportunities and numbers for women's employment increased. During the five years after FWCW, China has been faced with the difficulties of the reform of the state-owned enterprises, the increase of laid-off workers and the rising of employment pressure. Labor departments of China, however, have taken various policy and measures to promote employment and re-employment, open up more channels and create more opportunities for the employment of laid-off woman workers. In 1998, women employees in China have reached 340.67 million, making up 46.7% of the total, with 1.1 points increase than before the implementation of the Program; 3.323 million women workers are re-employed. Most of enterprises put into effect the regulations for labor protection of women workers. The coverage for childbearing insurance through social pooling has been practiced in 1412 counties (or cities) in China; 27.77 million staff and workers participated in the insurance, with an increase of 85% compared with that in 1995. The proportions of staff and workers buying childbearing insurance has reached over 60% in most provinces and autonomous regions. --The level of women's education raised and the gap between men and women narrowed. In 1998, schooling years of women amounted to 6.5 years, making up an increase of 0.4 more points of percentage than in 1995; the gap between men and women narrowed from 1.7 years in 1995 to 1.5 years. The difference in enrollment rate between boy and girl child decreased from 1.3 points of percentage to 0.14. The enrollment rate for girl child reached 98.5%, and their dropout rate was 1.4%--a decline of 0.6 points of percentage over the rate in 1995. From 1995 to 1998, more than 10 million illiterate young and adult women have been eliminated illiteracy, 2.5 million a year on average. The rate of women illiterates dropped by 1.5 points of percentage. Women accounted for a considerable proportion in the field of advanced knowledge. There are 62 women academicians in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, making up 6% of the total, which is higher than that in other countries of the world. --The objectives of elementary health care for everyone basically realized and the level of women's health raised. In 1998, every 1000 persons in China were served by an average of 3.6 health workers, an increase of 0.1 persons over those in 1995. The average life expectancy of women was 73.2 years in 1997, an increase of 2.7 years over that in 1990. Broad masses of women were entitled to good reproductive health care service. 85% of pregnant and lying-in women were well cared for in the national health care institutions. In 1998, the rate of lying-in delivery was 66.8%, and the rate of practicing new midwifery in rural areas reached 94.5%. The mortality rate of pregnant and lying-in women dropped to 56.2 persons per 100 thousand. --Rural population in poverty reduced and the low-income citizens provided with relief. The country helps eliminate women's poverty through practical skill training, micro-credit scheme and organizing the transit of woman labor forces to the coastal areas and other means. In 1999, rural poor population declined to 34 million and the number of poor women dropped from 70% of the total in 1995 to 60%. In towns and cities, three forms security system have been gradually established: the minimum living standard for citizens, the basic living security for laid-off and workers, and the insurance fund for the unemployed. By the end of 1998, 1702 cities or counties had set up the security system of minimum living standard, and 1.84 million citizens including women had been provided with relief. Groups of women in special need had also been effectively protected.The development of Chinese women is still faced with many problems and difficulties, in which poverty makes up the biggest obstacle of restricting the realization of the objectives set in the Program. The implementation of the Program in poor regions falls markedly behind the national averaged speed. According to the statistics of relevant departments, the mortality rates of children, pregnant and lying-in women in the rural areas of west China are onefold to threefold as much as those in east China. 60%-70% women illiterates live in the poverty-stricken areas. There are some key indices difficult to realize, such as the decrease of pregnant and lying-in women's mortality rate, women employment and reemployment of laid-off women workers, cracking down the infringement on the rights and interests of women and children, protection of labor rights and interests of women workers in non-public sectors, problems on health care and education for transient population.
Nowadays, the Chinese government is taking positive measures to solve those problems. During this year and next year, for example, the central government and local governments will allocate 100 million yuan, respectively, to carry out projects of reducing the mortality rate of pregnant and lying-in women and eliminating tetanus of newly-born babies in 378 poor counties of 12 provinces in middle and west China. In April this year, the Ministry of Public Security has been carrying out special campaign against trafficking in women and children. Meanwhile, the state is formulating Program for the Development of Chinese Women 2000-2010, and working out new national plans for action to further solve the existing problems and promote the development of women in the new century.