China's social security white paper (full text)
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-09-07 11:23

Social Welfare for Children

According to relevant laws and regulations, such as the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors" and the "Education Law of the People's Republic of China," the state provides comprehensive welfare for children, including education and planned immunization, and takes special care to ensure the livelihood, recovery and education of children with special difficulties, such as disabled children, orphans and abandoned babies, by providing welfare projects, facilities and services. Today, China has 192 special welfare institutions for children and600 comprehensive welfare institutions with a children's department, accommodating a total of 54,000 orphans and disabled children. There are also nearly 10,000 community services around China for orphans and disabled people, such as rehabilitation centers and training classes for mentally retarded children.

The Chinese Government has decided that, starting from 2004, itis going to carry out the "Tomorrow Plan -- Operations and Rehabilitation for Disabled Orphans." The plan will cover a three-year period and involve 600 million yuan in fund. Under the plan, each year 10,000 disabled orphans will receive operations and rehabilitation services. The aim is that by 2006 all the disabled orphans with surgical operation indications in all the social welfare institutions around China will have received effective operations and rehabilitation services.

Social Welfare for Disabled People

The "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Disabled People" promulgated by the state provides legal guarantees for disabled people's rehabilitation, education, employment, cultural life and social welfare. The government helpsdisabled people to get employment by running welfare enterprises, providing employment opportunities in a certain proportion, and supporting the self-employment of disabled people. Special care for disabled people is provided through such welfare measures as temporary aid, concentrated support and the running of accommodation institutions for disabled people. By the end of 2003,a total of over 4.03 million disabled people in urban areas around China were in employment, and 16.85 million disabled people in rural areas were engaged in productive labor; 2.59 million impoverished disabled people enjoyed guarantees for their livelihood; 442,000 disabled people enjoyed concentrated support and the "five guarantees" (of food, clothing, medicare, housing and burial expenses) in various welfare institutions and homes for the aged; 2.46 million disabled people were receiving temporary aid, regular allowances and special allowances; and over 7.01 million impoverished disabled people were receiving assistance to solve their problem of basic food and clothing. In 2003, governments at all levels earmarked 1.5 billion yuan for services for the disabled, and raised nearly 100 million yuan for social welfare funds.

VII. Special Care and Placement

The special care and placement system is one by which the Chinese Government provides materials and expresses compassion mainly for servicemen and their families. At present, such people number over 40 million.

To protect the rights and interests of people eligible for special care, the Chinese Government has promulgated the "Regulations on Commending Revolutionary Martyrs," "Regulations on Special Care and Preferential Treatment for Servicemen," and similar laws and regulations. The state sets different grades and standards for special care and preferential treatment according to the eligible people's capacities and contributions, and with reference to the level of economic and social development. State compensation is provided to families of martyrs and servicemen whodied on duty or of illnesses, and wounded and disabled servicemen. Regular and fixed living allowances are provided for special cases such as demobilized veterans. Allowances are universally distributed to the families of conscripts. Special cases, including disabled servicemen, enjoy social preferential treatment in terms of medical care, housing, transportation, education and employment. In 2003, there were 4.65 million people eligible for state compensation and subsidy, and government budgets at all levels for such compensation and subsidy totaled 8.79 billion yuan.