China has tried hard to resolve child labor issues as much as any other country in the world, Chinese experts said at the first Sino-European Forum on Human Rights, held in Strasbourg, France on Friday.
Professor Liu Huawen (2nd from left), vice director and general secretary of the Center for Human Rights Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, gives a presentation concerning child labor at the first Sino-European Forum on Human Rights held in Strasbourg, France on Dec. 4, 2015. [Photo by Zhang Rui / China.org.cn]
Xia Yinlan, professor of the China University of Political Science and Law and president of the China Marriage and Family Law Society, listed four major reasons why China still has child labor issues at the meeting held at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
"Poverty and a less developed economy are major reasons," she said. "The economic exploitation of child labor is due to the fact that child labor is much cheaper than adult labor."
At the same time, she added, current laws are insufficient and law enforcement cannot supervise the entire country as China is big and its economy has developed with regional imbalances. There's also a lack of a complete and perfect social security system, especially in rural China.
Professor Liu Hainian, director of the Center for Human Rights Studies at China's Academy of Social Sciences, said education is also an element. The nation supports 9-year compulsory free education. However, many students aged 15 abandon further studies due to financial or other reasons, and this creates an age gap for those underage children to become child laborers.
To deal with the issue, China has made efforts including formulating the Regulation on Labor Security Supervision in 2004, as well as the Labor Contract Law and Employment Promotion Law in 2007 to provide legal basis for bidding companies and entities to use child labor, while the Law on the Protection of Minors stipulates that entities are not allowed to hire those under the age of 16, but those between 16 and 18 years old can work in non-dangerous sectors. Professor Liu Huawen, who is vice director and general secretary of the Center for Human Rights Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, introduced that the new amendment of China's Criminal Law also added the crime of hiring child labor,
China has established large labor security supervision networks at national, provincial, municipal and county levels to supervise the problem, he added.
Liu also said the United Nations' Convention on Children's Rights and other international concepts have greatly influenced China. He explained the new views on children in his presentation, saying, "'Children's rights are human rights' has become China's mainstream thinking. We have to look at children as complete human individuals rather than simply belonging to adults and families. They are not commodities that can be sold and traded. We also look at children as they have their own value and special needs. We have to treat them according to their development, listen to and respect their opinions and help them to make decisions according to their current abilities. "
China has spared no effort to improve and protect children's interests and rights. The country set up the National and Local Working Committee on Women and Children, formed by 35 government departments, to work for women and children's causes and implement various laws, regulations and policies while 29 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China, and 71 percent of cities and counties, have set up minors' protection committees as well as juvenile education and protection committees.
Chinese and European scholars and judges exchanged views and shared respective statistics from both sides on various issues ranging from the illegal use of child labor, child trafficking, child porn and prostitution and juvenile crimes to children's education.
The forum was jointly held by the European Court of Human Rights, the University of Strasbourg, the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the International Institute of Human Rights. The next forum is expected to be held in Beijing next year.
