OverviewChina has made spectacular progress in reducing the number of poor people in the period since the economic reform process began. However, poverty still remains a major obstacle to realizing the rights of its children. A recent study by the Asian Development Bank noted that in 2002 the rural poor (those living on less than 869 yuan per annum) in China numbered 88.2 million, and that some 21 million people in urban areas qualified for urban poverty relief benefits. Poverty is concentrated among those living in remote mountainous areas, women, and ethnic minorities. Women in China enjoy the protection of a wide-ranging legislative framework to protect their rights, and a clear set of targets to promote and enhance gender equality by the year 2010 is in place. However, gender discrimination still exists in Chinese society, as evidenced in the continuing trend for a seriously unbalanced sex ratio at birth. The 2000 Census found that 117 boys are born to 100 girls, about 10 points higher than the global norm.
Child Mortality Rates. During the 1990's China achieved major progress in reducing the infant mortality rate (IMR) and the mortality rate of children under age five (U5MR). However, the rate of decline in child mortality has slowed considerably and progress is uneven. While child mortality rates in developed coastal areas approach those of industrialized countries, in most Western provinces they are 3-5 times higher. The proportion of neonatal deaths or IMR is also increasing. The main causes of neonatal deaths include pneumonia, asphyxia, premature birth, and low birth weight. Injury is likely to become a major cause of deaths in children aged 1-14. Maternal Mortality Rate. The maternal mortality rate dropped from 89 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 53 per 100,000 live births in 2000, but the government's targeted reduction in the 1990s was not achieved. Encouraging hospital delivery is the key strategy for reducing maternal mortality Immunization. Government reporting data show a high immunization rate. New initiatives have been launched for including Hepatitis B in the regular immunization programme. Vitamin A and iron deficiency are recognised as a public health problem in China. A survey conducted in 1999-2000 in 14 provinces showed the deficiency rate for children under 6 is 12 percent. Newly launched initiatives will supplement cooking oil with Vitamin A and supplementary flour with iron. Iodine deficiency is found throughout China. More than 400 million people live in iodine-deficient areas. Now that 95 percent of households consume iodized salt, however, the problem can be said to be under control. Control of Diarrhoeal Diseases. U5MR caused by diarrhoea has declined in both urban and rural areas, accounting for 0.7 percent of deaths in urban and 4.9 percent in rural areas in 2002. Under-5 mortality caused by diarrhoea has declined in both urban and rural areas, accounting for 0.6 percent of deaths in urban and 4 percent Anaemia among Chinese women showed levels of 29-40 percent depending on their pregnancy or lactating status. Anaemia rates were highest among lactating women (40 percent) and pregnant (37 percent) women. Water, Environment, and Sanitation. The government has reported an improvement in drinking water and sanitary latrines in recent years. In 2002, 57 percent of the rural population had access to tap water, and 49 percent access to a sanitary latrine. New challenges are posed by the presence in some locations of arsenic and fluoride in water and indoor air, with tens of millions of people at risk.
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