The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.
Please note, regarding online news about the cancellation of the only child bereavement subsidy under the family planning law draft proposal, notify all media websites, WeChat, Weibo, and other platforms not to forward the misinterpretation. Please delete already published reports. (December 25, 2015) [Chinese]
Following the recent announcement that China’s family planning policy would soon be amended to allow all couples to have two children, China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee passed the reform on December 27. The new revisions will take effect on January 1, 2016, putting an end to the controversial “one-child policy” that has been in effect for 35 years.
Ahead of the amendment, Chinese media reports mentioned that articles allowing special benefits to citizens under law as it had been in effect since 2002 had been deleted in the new draft. On December 22, Xinhua reported:
The top legislature must amend the family planning law in order to implement the October decision. The current law took effect in 2002 and contributed to stabilizing a low birth rate and guaranteed the healthy and steady development of family planning, Li said.
Under the current law, citizens who marry late and delay having children may be entitled to longer marriage and maternity leaves, and couples who volunteer to have only one child are also rewarded.
These articles were deleted in the draft. However, the amendment will not affect the benefits received by the older generation who abided by the current law, and parents with only one child, or whose only child is disabled or deceased. [Source]
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.
