Southwest China Sees Progress in Women and Children’s Development

Jul 29, 2016 Blog 0

The provincial Party committee and local government in southwest China’s Yunnan Province have followed official targets from the “Two Programs” as fundamental concepts in their undertakings to improve women and children’s development in the past five years, according to the latest inspection report.

The “Two Programs” refers to the China National Program for Women’s Development (2011-2020) and the China National Program for Child’s Development (2011-2020).

The development plans are progressing smoothly in Yunnan, as provincial government departments pay much attention to protecting the legal rights and interests of women and children in areas of health, education, employment, political participation, and social security as well as gender equality, according to officials in the province.

Statistics show that of the 53 quantifiable indicators for the development outline for women, 33 final goals for 2020 have already been fulfilled in advance. As for the development outline for children, similarly, 20 final goals for 2020 have been already been achieved of the 37 quantifiable indicators.

The health conditions of women and children in the province have been significantly improved. The figures indicate that the number of birth defects declined from 1,819,300 to 1,756,500 in 2010. The mortality rates of infants and children below the age of 5 also decreased to 8.7 percent and 11.34 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, maternal mortality rates dropped from 19.84 per 100,000 people in 2010 to 14.63 per 100,000 people in 2015.

The educational levels of women and children have been constantly improved, state officials. The enrollment rate of preschool education has reached 63.34 percent; the consolidation rate of compulsory education has reached 97.57 percent; and, the number of women in senior high school and higher education institutes has climbed to 83.80 percent and 34.48 percent, respectively.

Officials in Yunnan stated that they have positively promoted China’s basic State policy of gender equality and cleared unreasonable obstacles in the job market in the last five years. Hence, the employment of women has been steadily developed. More women are finding employment in different areas and all of them are contributing to economic growth. The proportion of female employees in Yunnan reached 44.57 percent in 2015.

In the process of encouraging women to take part in national and social decision-making and management, the capacity of women’s political participation has also steadily improved. The proportion of female civil servants rose to 32 percent and female officials have played a significant role in leadership groups.

The social security system for women and children has been constantly improved. Multiple women from poverty-stricken families in the province have made improvements in their lives due to the progress of the system. According to officials, the minimum subsistence allowance for urban residents and rural people has increased from 3,000 yuan (U.S.$ 450) and 1,400 yuan (U.S.$ 210) in 2011 to 4,800 yuan (U.S.$ 720) and 2,294 yuan (U.S.$ 340) in 2015, respectively.

The lawful rights and interests of women and children have been protected effectively, concluded officials. Yunnan has continuously strengthened legal aid to protect women and children and prevent women and children’s rights from being violated. A total of 188 legal aid agencies have been established and more than 88,800 women have benefited from these agencies. In addition, over 400 abducted children have been saved and returned to their homes. Moreover, the delinquency rate of minors has dropped year on year.

Sources : Womenofchina