China's population department has begun a campaign called "Care
for Girls" to tackle the country's gender ratio imbalance. The
situation is especially serious in some rural and underdeveloped
regions.
The campaign began on Friday. It aims to promote the idea of
gender equality, as well as to improve the living environment for
girls, through the country's widespread family planning
network.
The commission sent a team of about 50 people, including family
planning workers and medical experts, to the vast western regions
on Friday, following the campaign's launching ceremony. They will
travel to five provinces and autonomous regions, including north
China's Hebei
and Inner
Mongolia, as well as Ningxia,
Gansu
and Qinghai
in the northwest.
The team will give lectures on reproductive health. They will
also assess the living and health conditions for girls in the
various regions. In addition, some female school dropouts in those
regions will receive donations of 500 yuan, or about US$60 each, to
cover tuition expenses.
(cctv.com.cn August 17, 2003)