China moves to make reporting of trafficking mandatory under changes to women’s rights law
- Proposed amendments also include more welfare support for victims, according to the top legislature
- It comes amid public pressure for stronger legal protection to address concerns about gender-based abuse and discrimination
Chinese lawmakers will push for mandatory reporting of trafficking or abduction and provide more support for victims under proposed revisions to the women’s rights law, the top legislature said on Thursday.
Zang Tiewei, a spokesman for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, told reporters that the proposed revisions included strong support for victims of trafficking.
“The recent exposé of severe women’s rights abuses reflects weak grass-roots governance and [a lack of] awareness of women’s rights protection,” Zang said.
He said under the amendments, local government units in charge of household and marriage registration, township, village and community authorities as well as hotels would be required to report suspected cases of trafficking or abduction to police. Local branches of the government-backed All-China Women’s Federation would also be asked to carry out screening to help detect cases and provide welfare support to victims.
“The second draft contains strengthened and implementable regulations to hold grass-roots governments, community units and women’s rights groups accountable,” Zang said.
The proposed second draft amendments also include a background check mechanism in schools in an effort to stop sexual harassment and assault, he said. It also covers women’s rights in the workplace, including maternity leave and breastfeeding.
In China, buying trafficked humans gets less jail time than for illegal plants
Critics said the first draft of the revisions lacked clarity and measures to address the welfare of trafficking victims.
There has been heated debate in China over human trafficking and women’s rights after a woman was found chained by her neck in a hut in eastern China in January. The case prompted a public outcry, and it emerged that she had been sold twice as a bride and had given birth to eight children.
A number of local officials have since been sacked over the case, and the central government launched a high-level investigation and a year-long police crackdown on trafficking. China’s top judge also called for tougher penalties – including the death sentence – for extreme cruelty against women, children and the elderly.
But calls for the women’s rights law to provide better protection have continued.
The top legislature released the first draft of the proposed amendments for public consultation in December. It includes a revision to allow women to seek compensation upon divorce for household duties such as looking after children and elderly relatives, and it gives a clear definition of gender-based discrimination. It had a huge response, with more than 423,000 suggestions from over 85,000 people.
The draft will go through two more reviews by the top legislature before it is enacted.
