China: Information about the "birth authorization card," particularly with reference to its possible use in Fujian and Guangdong Provinces since 1985
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CHN23580.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, China: Information about the "birth authorization card," particularly with reference to its possible use in Fujian and Guangdong Provinces since 1985, 1 May 1996, CHN23580.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab1260.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the Report of the Second Australian Human Rights Delegation to China 8-20 November 1992,
The central government sets an annual nationwide goal for the number of "authorised" births each year. That figure is then divided up among provinces and below that, prefectures, counties, towns and districts. Eventually, each work unit (factory, office, village etc.) is allocated a target for the following two to three years. As the number of births permitted to each unit is often small, many units "ration" births and make couples wait until their appointed time before having children (1993, 49; see also Population Crisis Committee 1992, 8).
Similarly, the Guangdong Provincial Regulations on Family Planning state that
Every municipality, district, autonomous prefecture, and county is to implement population planning on the basis of population planning quotas that are passed down from higher authorities. (The people's governments at these levels) shall examine childbirth lists from urban areas and rural districts and towns and give approval for them, depending on the family planning requirements that are stipulated by the higher authorities and the needs for delayed marriage, late childbirth, a low number of children, and superior upbringing of children. Women who have married unusually late shall be given preference in having their first child. It is the responsibility of their work unit to identify such women and ensure their names are entered on the childbirth list (1 June 1986, art. 9).
Two reports from the 1980s, writing on infanticide, make passing reference to a "birth authorizaton card" reportedly required to be presented at hospital prior to the birth (The Washington Post 7 Jan. 1985; Chang 1988, 260). Stephen Mosher, in his 1993 book A Mother's Ordeal, which tells the story of a family planning worker in Liaoning Province, does not specifically refer to "birth authorization cards," but nonetheless describes the difficult process of granting "birth quotas" to individuals in the early to mid-1980s (270-77). For further information on "birth quotas" and other family planning regulations in China, please refer to the attachments.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Chang, Maria Hsia. 1988. "Women," Human Rights in the People's Republic of China. Boulder: Westview Press.
Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 1993. Report of the Second Australian Human Rights Delegation to China 8-20 November 1992. Canberra: Australian Government Printing Service.
Guangdong Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee. 1 June 1986. Guangdong Provincial Regulations on Family Planning. Translated by Department of Secretary of State of Canada, Multilingual Translation Directorate, Ottawa, 14 Jan. 1994.
Mosher, Stephen. 1993. A Mother's Ordeal: One Woman's Fight Against China's One-Child Policy. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company.
Population Crisis Committee. 1992. Shanti R. Conly et al. China's Family Planning Program: Challenging the Myths. Washington, DC: Population Crisis Committee.
The Washington Post. 7 January 1985. Final Edition. Michael Weisskopf. "One Couple, One Child: Second of Three Articles: Abortion Policy Tears at China's Society." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Chang, Maria Hsia. 1988. "Women," Human Rights in the People's Republic of China. Boulder: Westview Press, pp. 251, 260-61, 266-67.
Los Angeles Times. 16 February 1988. Home Edition. David Holley. "China Orders New Drive to Prevent Unapproved Births." (NEXIS)
Mosher, Stephen. 1993. A Mother's Ordeal: One Woman's Fight Against China's One-Child Policy. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, pp. 270-77.
Office of Asylum Affairs (OAA), Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. December 1994. China: Profile of Asylum Claims and Country Conditions. Washington, DC: United States Department of State, pp. 44-54.
Population Crisis Committee. 1992. Shanti R. Conly et al. China's Family Planning Program: Challenging the Myths. Washington, DC: Population Crisis Committee, pp. 7-10.
The Washington Post. 7 January 1985. Final Edition. Michael Weisskopf. "One Couple, One Child: Second of Three Articles: Abortion Policy Tears at China's Society." (NEXIS)