We
at Women's Rights Without Frontiers are grateful to Sen. Marco Rubio
for writing this powerful and courageous piece exposing the incalculable
suffering caused by China's One Child Policy and have reprinted his
remarks below.
Addressing the Disastrous Consequences of China's One-Child Policy
By Sen. Marco Rubio
Thirty four years ago today, the communist regime in China enacted
its “One-Child Policy,” one of the most disastrous and immoral social
policies ever imagined in human history. It was the communist regime’s
answer to curb the growth of the world’s largest population.
The One-Child Policy banned most Chinese couples from having more
than one child. When couples conceived a second child, the Chinese
government forced them to eliminate him or her, by any means necessary.
However, because of cultural norms that place a premium on boys, the
policy’s victims also included first-conceived children simply because
they happened to be girls. In addition, Chinese women who gave birth to
baby girls were also victims of this policy because many ended up being
shunned by their husbands, families and society.
For over three decades, China’s One-Child Policy has condemned
approximately 37 million Chinese girls – who the policy helped deem
unwanted or “surplus” – to abortion, infanticide, abandonment and human
trafficking. In recent years, the Chinese government has relaxed this
disastrous policy and ironically, China now faces demographic decline in
the coming decades, in part due to the One-Child Policy. However,
innocent Chinese parents are still forced to endure abortions and
sterilizations in the parts of the country that are still subject to it.
There have also been additional long-term consequences of China’s
One-Child Policy that we see today, including one that I am actively
trying to address through legislation I’ve introduced called the Girls
Count Act.
According to UNICEF, an estimated 290 million children under the
age of 5 do not possess a birth certificate. As we know, proof of birth
determines a child’s citizenship, nationality, place of birth, parentage
and age, which are critical to ensuring children remain a part of
society and do not fall victim to dangers such as exploitation.
While China’s One-Child Policy is not the sole driver of this
problem, it has contributed to it. As The Economist reported earlier
this year, today there are about 13 million Chinese who lack household
registration certificates because they were born in violation of the
One-Child Policy. Not having this certificate means they can’t go to
school, get a job, get married or do something as simple as check out
library books. They have no access to China’s already flawed legal
system. They can’t even escape this misery by buying plane or train
tickets so they can relocate. Over time, failing to register children at
birth leaves them vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation.
The Girls Count Act I’ve introduced would help address this
problem. It would direct current U.S. foreign assistance to provide
assistance to support the rights of women and girls in developing
countries by working to establish birth registries in their countries.
A nationally recognized proof of birth system is critical to
establishing key documentation for a child, which ultimately ensures
that child can go on to fully participate and contribute to society. The
Girls Count Act will help pave the way for millions – especially young
girls and women who have been disproportionately affected – to benefit
from new opportunities previously denied to them.
This is but one way we can address the consequences of China’s
disastrous One-Child Policy and fully address the long-term havoc it has
wreaked on the Chinese people. However, more must be done. The U.S.
must continue to advocate for the complete elimination of the One-Child
policy and the rights of all Chinese citizens, including the unborn, to
live up to their God-given potential.
