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Essay / Analysis of Dropout Incidents Concerning Disabled Children in China
According to Kabeer (2000), China has one of the highest dropout rates of disabled children and girls. Regarding history, China has undergone rapid changes over the past fifty years. Previously, China was a socialist country with limited ties to the rest of the world. The majority of its leaders abhorred the idea of capitalism. Therefore, the governments of the time did little to control the population of this vast country. Over time, the population increased, leading to overpopulation and overexploitation of economic resources. However, by the 1970s, Chinese leaders realized that with such a large population, the nation would struggle to grow economically. The government introduced the one-child policy, with those who break the rule facing heavy fines. Until now, neglect of girls and children with disabilities has occurred in a nation bound by strong social bonds (Shang et al., 2011). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayNeglect of little girls has been very prolific in China. Daily, law enforcement and ordinary citizens find aborted female fetuses in sewers, toilets, train stations, and others are thrown into trash cans (Kabeer, 2006). Additionally, poor families who cannot afford ultrasound tests to determine the sex of the unborn child kill them at birth if the child is a girl. Furthermore, most families ended up illegally adopting their baby girls while mercilessly killing disabled infants (Kabeer, 2006). Such levels of neglect can be attributed to the social and economic factors plaguing China as it strives to develop, hence the need to control its population. (Bhattacharjya et al., 2008). Accordingly, the article evaluates social factors such as culture and economic factors such as the role of the one-child policy in facilitating the abandonment of disabled children and girls in China. In 1971, the Chinese government adopted the draconian one-child policy (Bhattacharjya et al. , 2008). This policy followed a series of debates over how China's vast population would affect China's economic prosperity (Bhattacharjya et al., 2008). It appeared that the population was growing at a faster rate than the growth of the economy. China remained a communist country after World War II. As such, having many children confers a certain social prestige. However, the increase in population has led to a reduction in cultivated land. As a result, poverty became endemic in rural areas and access to decent basic amenities such as medicine and education became impossible. As a result, the government formulated and implemented the one-child policy with the aim of keeping the population below 1.2 billion by 2002. Although this policy was largely successful in containing the population in China, it has had negative impacts on the well-being of girls. and children with disabilities given the cultural orientation of Chinese society. According to the policy, having more than one child carried heavy penalties (Bhattacharjya et al., 2008). The policy was so draconian that society would suffer if one of its own had more than one child. Furthermore, even employees had a moral obligation to ensure that none of their colleagues had more than one child, or risk losing their jobs.Given the strict policy and patriarchal nature of Chinese society, most families preferred to have a boy rather than a girl (Bhattacharjya et al., 2008). As a result, most families gave up their daughters for adoption for the chance of having a boy. Others, who were unable to obtain a marriage, left their disabled children by the side of the road in the hope that they would be saved (Kabeer, 2006). Additionally, most families cannot live with children with disabilities because they do not have a secure future. Therefore, most of them would kill most of them at birth and try to have a healthy child who could shelter their old age (Kabeer, 2006). China is growing rapidly due to globalization. Most multinational companies set up processing plants in the country to benefit from low labor costs (Kabeer, 2006). Subsequently, there was a rise in commodity prices in the country due to the growth of the middle class. The cost of decent medicines and primary education is increasing. International students have become a common sight in the country and are trying to equip themselves with better skills. However, the majority of Chinese remains relatively small (Kabeer, 2006). Most of China's population lives in rural areas where incomes are relatively low. However, rapid urbanization has not spared them as agriculture continues to provide little income (Kabeer, 2006). As a result, the majority of families have difficulty financing their studies. Therefore, due to a culture that values men more than women; girls suffer because boys always find favor in going to school (Kabeer, 2006). Likewise, most families view children with disabilities as an economic burden. The Chinese work hard. Therefore, the idea of caring for someone who is not productive goes far beyond moral vocation. Salaries in China remain relatively low despite the ever-increasing cost of living. Therefore, the majority considers that caring for a disabled child is not worth it. As they grow up, they may not keep pace with fierce competition and a demanding work environment. Subsequently, as China lacks social welfare programs for the elderly and disabled, parents choose to get rid of disabled children. According to (Dowling; Brown, 2008), most parents are largely concerned about their old age. Traditionally, sons are more likely to care for their aging mothers than daughters or children with disabilities. Therefore, with the increasing cost of living, families must have priorities when it comes to financial management. Healthy and capable boys are always given priority, to the detriment of girls and children with disabilities. China does not have a unified social welfare system that would help parents of children with disabilities easily care for them (Emmett, 2006). Despite the rapid growth of the world's second-largest economy, China has devoted modest financial resources to caring for its disabled children. (Dowling; Brown, 2008) notes that China has many charitable funds and government-sponsored health insurance schemes to help disabled people and the terminally ill. However, the system is dispersed and therefore not accessible to people of all social classes. In rural areas, most families struggle to access these funds to care for their children with disabilities. As a result, rather than go through all this hustle, most chooseto abandon their sick infants in crèches, the authorities recovering them before their death. However, the authorities are trying to emphasize the installation of baby carriers in the necessary conditions so as not to harm disabled children. The government official, according to Reuters, hopes the structures will help reduce baby injuries, as current closures result in the deaths of ten percent of all abandoned children (Dowling, 2008). Furthermore, the lack of unified welfare systems has deprived most nursing homes of their much-needed resources (Dowling, 2008). The government does not keep a register of abandoned babies, which makes it difficult to estimate the recourses to be allocated. As a result, most rescue centers abandon abandoned children because they cannot accommodate them. As a result, some parents continue to abandon these underprivileged children in stranger places than ever to hide their guild. Emmett (2005) notes that Chinese culture has been largely patriarchal. Like other Asian cultures such as India, having a son in China is a noble cause (Kabeer, 2006). Confucius holds great importance in Chinese culture (Kabeer, 2006). The philosophy greatly values ancestral rites and family provisions such as filial piety. According to this philosophy, everyone should learn to play their role. The role of women remained above all a kinship role (Kabeer, 2006). As such, they had to grant what the men closely related to them needed. Additionally, most Chinese families view men as heirs (Kabeer, 2006). As such, giving birth to a baby girl remains a social ridicule in most rural China. Therefore, culture combined with other factors such as small family size and economic pressure have largely facilitated the abandonment of girls. Most Chinese families are able to have only two children (Kabeer, 2006). However, since 1971, a family could only have one child. Thus, a majority of families preferred to have a boy rather than a girl. Chinese traditions view the man as a means of extending the family dynasty. However, women are ready to get married. Therefore, any family without sons was threatened with extinction. Mencius, an ardent follower of Confucius, emphasized that the worst unfaithful acts were lack of offspring. So most Chinese people still hold these feelings close to their hearts. Therefore, a majority of Chinese couples choose to abort their baby girl in an attempt to get pregnant again and try for a boy. However, most poor families in rural areas do not have the financial means to pay for ultrasound sound testing. So, most of them put their little girl up for adoption, while some intentionally poison or kill her. Kabeer (2006) illustrates the hopelessness of the situation. The example tells the story of a woman who enters her mud-walled house in a remote village in China. She finds our men and her mother-in-law. She just gave birth to a daughter at a local hospital. Learning that the child is a girl, all the men leave, including the husband. In conjunction with his mother-in-law, they prepare a decoction of poison which they force down the child's throat. The woman later buries the child, claiming that she was not guilty of the heinous act. China's population was largely uncontrolled in the 19th century. Most Chinese people lived in rural areas where plenty of land was available for cultivation. At the time, the war with Japan was China's main concern (Dowling, 2008)..