Better protecting human rights

Improving gender equality

Lu Haina, associate professor of School of Law, Renmin University of China

Gender equality is among the most fundamental of human rights. Both China's Constitution and its laws stipulate that men and women enjoy equal rights to work and social security.

However, problems related to gender equality still exist in the country's social security system, and even if some women with good health and a promising future are willing to work until the age of 60, they are not allowed to. Therefore, the policy actually deprives women over the age 55 of the right to work, which is also one of basic human rights.

Protecting children's rights in the process of urbanization

Yang Xiejiao, a professor from Zhejiang University of Technology

Incidents in the past few years have revealed that much needs to be done to protect the rights of children, especially those living in rural areas.

In many cases, schools and other educational resources have been concentrated, but they are often far away from pupils' homes without sufficient transport available to take the children to and from school. This has led to unlicensed vans filling the gap to meet demand, and poor maintenance and driving have led to some deadly accidents.

An even more serious problem is "left-behind children", those children who don't receive enough care and attention from their parents because they are away working in faraway cities. The number of left-behind children is already 58 million; and there have been an increasing number of cases involving violation of their rights in recent years.

These issues should arouse our attention and concern. As a signing member of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, China has done much legislative work in child protection, but more needs to be invested to form a comprehensive system, such as introducing an independent juvenile justice system, and constructing more aid centers for children.

(China Daily 09/13/2013 page8)