The One Child Policy Drives Human Trafficking in China

To this day, China’s atrocious One-Child policy has resulted in 400 million forced abortions and sterilizations.

Due to a cultural preference for sons, baby girls are more likely to be aborted or killed shortly after birth. In 2012, it was estimated that there were 40 million more men than women in China. This gender imbalance has created a high demand for women which has lead to even more human rights abuses in China, like human trafficking.

China was given the lowest ranking in the U.S. State Department yearly Trafficking in Person’s Report. This ranking is determined by standards set by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). Details of the country’s current policies are described in the Country Narrative.

The Country Narrative for China states,

“The Chinese government’s birth limitation policy and a cultural preference for sons, create a skewed sex ratio of 118 boys to 100 girls in China, which served as a key source of demand for the trafficking of foreign women as brides for Chinese men and for forced prostitution.”

The U.S. government has acknowledged that the one child policy aids human trafficking and the Chinese government has poorly addressed this issue – to say the least. Not only has China victimized its women by creating a life of terror during their fertile years, it also hurts women in surrounding countries. To truly liberate women in China, the inhuman one child policy must be repealed.

There is no ‘choice’ involved in forced abortions and these forced abortions are driving the human trafficking market. Whether you identify as “pro-choice” or “pro-life,” all Americans should be able to agree that China’s grievous human rights violations must be addressed.

 

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