Reggie Littlejohn, Women's Rights Without Frontiers founder, calls the One Child Policy "gendercide"
The House of Representatives, Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights, held a hearing on China's One Child Policy on Tuesday, November 10, just days before President Obama's trips to Asia, including China.
In his opening remarks, Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, gave a powerful and sweeping indictment of the Chinese government's enforcement of this policy that included forced abortions, even in the ninth month of pregnancy. He called the policy so repulsive to women and human rights that he called on President Obama to forcefully speak out against this practice when he visits China this month. "Silence is not an option" he said.
Providing testimony on this policy was Harry Wu, a former political prisoner and Founder of the Laogai Foundation, which creates awareness of the Chinese forced labor camps.
A most compelling testimony was given by Reggie Littlejohn, who is the founder of Women's Rights without Frontiers. A former Wall Street Attorney, Ms. Littlejohn, called the One Child policy "gendercide" because it results in the infanticide of millions of female tetuses and babies. In China, male children are preferred over female ones. The policy causes a litany of other social and moral problems, including sex trafficking and female suicides. Ms. Littlejohn observed that China is the only society where the female suicides exceeds that of males.
Ms. Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the World Uyghur Congress, also testified. She starkly spoke of the practice of the Chinese government to lure young Uyghur woman from there homeland to other parts of Mainland China with the promise of lucrative jobs. Once they arrive the Uyghur girls find no such jobs and are usually coerced into marry Han Chinese men, who are desperate for wives because of the shortage of females cause by the One Child policy.
The examination of the One Child Policy follows the recent publication of the Congressional Executive Committee on China's annual report on China, which detailed a declining human rights situation in China. The hearing also coincided with a rising concern regarding the Obama Administration's direction on human rights
This disappointment was conveyed in a letter to President Obama dated 26 October 2009 signed by over 400 Chinese Citizens living inside China and abroad. For more information visit www.initiativesforchina.org
Initiatives for China advocates for a peaceful transition to democracy and political reform in China through education, promoting unity, advancing citizen power, and building overseas support.

The Consequences of China's One Child Policy

In her testimony before the Congressional Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights, Ms. Reggie Littlejohn detailed five consequences of China's One Child policy
1. Gendercide. Allowed to have only one child, millions of female fetuses and babies are killed each year so couples may try for a male child.
2. Female Suicide. China has the highest female suicide rate in the world. It is the only country where female suicides exceed male suicides.
3. Sex Trafficking. The One child policy has created situation where China now has tens of millions more males of marrying age than females. This results in the trafficking of women from Korea, and other places to provide wives for Mainland Chinese men.
4. Forced Abortions. Millions of women undergo forced abortions, often under primitive conditions, and often in late term.
5.Illegal Children. Children born outside the one child policy are not recognized by the Chinese government and are denied basic social services.

For More Information on the One Child Policy visit
womensrightswithoutfrontiers