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China Launches Project to Help Children of Migrant Workers
The Children's Foundation of China launched a "sunshine plan" on May 9 to provide better education to children of migrant workers living in cities.
An official with the Children's Foundation of China said the "sunshine plan" has chosen 15 schools for migrant children in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to provide donations.
He said the "sunshine plan" will help the chosen schools to build libraries, equip computers and large-screen projectors. The "sunshine plan" will also invite experts and celebrities to given lectures to students in the schools.
With a large number of rural migrants flocking to cities, China currently has about 20 million children of migrant workers living in cities, according to the Children's Foundation of China.
(From: Xinhuanet)
China Sees 30% Drop in Death Penalty
Chinese courts handed down about 30 percent fewer death penalties last year compared with 2006, sources from a forum revealed on May 9.
On January 1, 2007 China's Supreme People's Court took back the power of death penalty review. The effect is a stricter and more appropriate application of capital punishment, said Li Wuqing, a judge with the No. 1 criminal court of the Supreme Court.
Wu Sheng, a judge from a court in Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, said at the forum that the number of approved death penalties decreased by up to 40 percent last year in that city.
The right to issue death sentences was given to provincial courts in 1983 to deal with a sudden surge in crime.
Since the application of the ultimate penalty came back to the hands of the central authorities, many people are hoping it will be used more sparingly, implemented more cautiously, and handed down more evenly.
According to the new practice, all death penalties pronounced by local courts must be reviewed and ratified by the Supreme People's Court. Each death sentence must be reviewed by three judges, who are required to check facts, laws and criminal procedures and precedent.
Legal experts, researchers and judges from China and Britain participated in the forum held in Dalian of Liaoning Province, with a focus on restriction and abolition of the death penalty.
(From: Xinhuanet)
China Issues Draft Implementation Regulations for Labor Contract Law to Solicit Public Opinion
China's Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council made public the draft of implementation regulations for the labor contract law to solicit public opinions on May 8.
The draft mainly addresses the term of labor contract and economic compensation after labor contract termination and the dispatch of laborers.
The Labor Contract Law, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2008, entitles employees of at least 10 years' standing to sign labor contracts with no fixed termination dates.
The term caused some confusion on the general public and employers. Some people said it would weaken enterprise vitality.
Law experts, however, said the term aims to promote a sense of stability among employees and a harmonious relationship between employees and employers. Meanwhile, a labor contract with no fixed termination dates did not amount to a lifetime contract. Termination of such contract is possible if there are legitimate causes.
The draft, stipulates that under circumstances including employee's incompetence to live up to job requirements during the trial use period, serious violation of regulations and duty dereliction, the employers could terminate labor contract with no fixed termination dates.
Bankruptcy would also justify the termination of the contract, according to the draft.
The draft stipulates that the employers should double the amount of compensation if they terminate the contract at their own will.
(From: Xinhuanet)
Tibet Gives Temporary Monthly Subsidy to Low-Income Families
According to the local civil affairs authority, the Tibet Autonomous Region began to give a 15 yuan (2 U.S. dollars) temporary monthly subsidy to urban low-income families as of this May to help them meet rising living costs.
Those who already receive the minimum urban living allowance will get the subsidy in addition to the monthly allowance of 260 yuan.
230,000 impoverished rural people, with annual incomes of less than 850 yuan, will get a 10 yuan monthly subsidy in addition to their allowances.
These 230,000 people already receive a yearly allowance of 470 yuan, 290 yuan or 194 yuan, depending on their economic situation.
(From: Xinhuanet)
China Protects Human Rights of Criminals
According to Li Yuqian, deputy-director of the Prison Administration under the Ministry of Justice, the human rights of criminals were well protected in China, with special attention paid to their safety, health and education.
"Criminal human rights refer to a kind of restricted human rights for people who have violated the law," he said . "China has guaranteed such rights through legislation and law enforcement and ensured that criminals could practice the part of their rights which are not deprived in accordance with the law."
Criminal human rights could best represent a country's level of civilization and legal development. In recent years China had attached a lot of importance to the protection of criminal's rights and their education, and took effective measures to help prisoners to reform themselves in hope of a better future.
Chinaadheres to the principle of prison management in accordance with the law, and strictly prohibits physical punishment and torture of prisoners. Any behavior related to severe torture, once detected, will be immediately dealt with and punished in accordance with the law.
Prisons all across the country also paid attention to criminals' rights for development, and tried to reform them into citizens who abided by the law and were able to support themselves.
Their living conditions have been improved and their daily necessities guaranteed by the prison distribution system. They can also get prompt and effective medical care through clinics attached to their prisons or hospitals affiliated to higher-level prisons and provincial prison.
(From: Xinhuanet)
Program Launched in China to Tackle Human Health Impact of Climate Change
The Chinese government and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly launched a program on April 7, 2008 to help the country to fight human health risks from climate change.
Funded by the Spanish government, the program would support China-based United Nations organizations to conduct work in the country on climate change mitigation and adaptation, said Zhao Yuezhao, an official with the monitoring bureau of China's Ministry of health.
"It aims to enhance our ability to adapt or even avoid future crises," he said.
The three-year initiative aims to place climate change mitigation and adaptation into the mainstream of national and provincial policies and planning frameworks, conduct pilot programs in some areas, and establish monitoring and health risk assessment related to climate change, according to Zhao.
Deputy Health Minister Ma Xiaowei said that "As a responsible developing country, China has taken workable measures to alleviate the harmful impact of climate change and worked out general strategies to solve related problems."
In 2007, China published its first ever National Climate Change Program.
According to the program, which was presented as the "basic law" guiding China's endeavor to cope with climate change, the country would reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 percent, or four percent annually, before 2010 and slow down the increase of carbon dioxide emission.
(From: Xinhuanet)
Shanghai Considers Establishing Unemployment Early Warning Mechanism
Shanghai plans to monitor the changing unemployment figures with an early warning mechanism this year, said Bao Danru, vice director of the municipal Labor and Social Security Bureau, on April 8.
Shanghai, the economic powerhouse of China, has seen an unemployment rate of 4.3 percent.
Bao said that the statistics department will arrange a survey covering about 20,000 households by interviewing them twice a year on issues such as family members' occupations, income and living conditions, in order to get abetter picture of the employment tendency in the city whose population is more than 17 million.
Experts will be invited to assess government economic policies, and analyze their impacts on employment structure, according to Bao.
He also noted that a database on laborers will be set up, which will follow the latest fluctuations in the numbers of the laid-off, unemployed and pensioners.
(From: Xinhuanet) |
