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.
