Violence Against Women: According to some researchers, spousal abuse
is far too common and, in many parts of the country, still socially
acceptable. However, comprehensive statistics about the extent of
domestic violence are not available or have not been made public. The
official All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) has been studying this
problem and seeking solutions.

Few battered women have the opportunity to escape abuse, because
shelters and other resources are not available. Women are under
considerable social pressure to keep families together regardless of
the circumstances. Legal action is not taken against batterers unless
the victim initiates it, and if she withdraws her testimony, the
proceedings are ended.

Abduction and Trafficking of Women: Trafficking and sale of women as
brides or into prostitution is a serious problem in certain parts of
China, and Chinese women have been sold into brothels in Southeast
Asia. The PRC government has enacted various laws to combat the sale
of women, but the statistics released by the government do not
reliably indicate the scale of the problem. PRC officials stated that
there were 15,000 cases of kidnapping and trafficking in women and
children in 1993. Yet according to one estimate, 10,000 women were
abducted and sold in 1992 in Sichuan Province alone.

Until recently, the authorities have not prosecuted men who purchase
women as wives; thus, the trade has continued unabated. Official
action to rescue victims of trafficking is generally initiated only if
a complaint is made by the woman or her family. Local officials often
turn a blind eye, even formally registering marriages into which the
woman has been sold.

Discrimination in Employment and Education: The PRC ratified the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women in 1980 and enacted the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights
and Interests in 1992. However, open discrimination against women in
China has continued to grow during the period of reform of the last 15
years.

According to PRC government surveys, women's salaries have been found
to average 77% of men's, and most women employed in industry work in
low-skill and low-paying jobs. An estimated 70 to 80% of workers laid
off as a result of downsizing in factories have been women, and,
although women make up 38% of the work force, they are 60% of the
unemployed. At job fairs, employers openly advertise positions for men
only, and university campus recruiters often state that they will not
hire women. Employers justify such discrimination by saying that they
cannot afford the benefits they are required to provide for pregnant
women, nursing mothers and infants.

The proportion of women to men declines at each educational tier, with
women comprising some 25% of undergraduates in universities.
Institutions of higher education that have a large proportion of
female applicants, such as foreign language institutes, have been
known to require higher entrance exam grades from women.

Although China has a law mandating compulsory primary education,
increasing numbers of rural girls are not being sent to school. Rural
parents often do not want to "waste" money on school fees for girls
who will "belong" to another family when they marry. According to
official statistics, about 70% of illiterates in China are female.

Violations Against Female Children: The one-child policy, in
conjunction with the traditional preference for male children, has led
to a resurgence of practices like female infanticide, concealment of
female births and abandonment of female infants. Female children whose
births are not registered do not have any legal existence and
therefore may have difficulty going to school or receiving medical
care or other state services. The overwhelming majority of children in
orphanages are female and/or mentally or physically handicapped.

The one-child policy has also contributed to the practice of prenatal
sex identification resulting in the abortion of female fetuses.
Although the government has outlawed the use of ultrasound machines
for this purpose, physicians continue the practice, especially in
rural areas. Thus, while the average worldwide ratio of male to female
newborns is 105/100, Chinese government statistics show that the ratio
in the PRC is 114/100 and may be higher in some areas.

This fact sheet was prepared by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center
for Human Rights. It is based on information provided by Amnesty
International-USA, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Francois-
Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Human Rights in
China, the International Campaign for Tibet, the Puebla Institute and
the RFK Memorial Center for Human Rights.