Real-name registration to help monitor sex ratio

Shanghai will carry out a pilot project for real-name registration of hospital births and set up stations to monitor the sex ratio, according to the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission.

Under the pilot project, people's identity certificates, which currently are not required as a compulsory, will be required when registering newborn children. It aims to have a more accurate picture of the newborns in the city.

Shanghai's sex ratio was 112.4 boys to 100 girls in 2012, a drop of 0.7 from previous year. The ratio for the city's registered population was 103-107 boys to 100 girls, while the ratio among the migrant population was 117.8 to 100, according to the commission.

The increasing migrant population has not only brought more new births to the city but widened the city's sex ratio because many migrants who come from rural areas traditionally favor boys than girls, officials said.

Authorities said they will strictly monitor the sex ratio and crack down on illegal clinics that notify parents of the sex of the unborn and carry out abortions.

In addition, people who provide tips about illegal births will also be rewarded by the government.