Summary of China’s Migrant Population Report for 2013

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2014-05-16

IV Basic public service on migrant population’s health and family planning worthy of attention

The Migrant population includes key and vulnerable groups in health and family planning work. The number of migrant women of childbearing age is increasing and they have taken up an increasing part of the population, and the number of women giving birth outside their registered residence is also on the rise. It was estimated the number of married migrant women of childbearing age was about 63.07 million in 2012, accounting for a fourth of all married women of childbearing age across the country. The migrant population’s children born the previous year accounted for a third of all births nationwide, and nearly 70 percent of pregnant women gave birth in their current city of residence. Migrant pregnant and lying-in women and children are the key groups of perinatal care, child health management and vaccination work. Meanwhile, the migrant population of the new generation is susceptible to premarital cohabitation, premarital pregnancy and reproductive health problems, which calls for more attention of health and family planning work.

Equalization of basic public health and family planning service has been an important part of the Commission’s work. To get a better sense of the work, the commission conducted a special survey in 12 cities to get firsthand data. The report next year will lean toward analysis of health and family planning management status. Next, based on the pilot project of equalizing basic public family service starting two years ago, the Commission will add public health service to the project, and start a new round of pilot work in 40 cities in October. It will use the project to reinforce equalization for the migrant population. Priority will be given to areas where migrant population aggregate and to migrant women of childbearing age and children.

V Efforts needed to integrate migrant population into society

At the moment, developed countries consider integrating immigrants into society as an important strategy to cope with population aging, defuse ethnical conflicts and upgrade the labor force quality. Although China’s migrant workers are different from immigrants, gaps in public service and policy among regions, rural and urban areas have made it difficult for the rural population to merge with the city they dwell in. To push for urbanization in a densely-populated country like China, strategic thinking and institutional arrangement in migrant population’s social integration is important. The Commission will work hard in health and family planning services for the migrant population and organize special care events for them through its network to help them integrate into society.

Since 2009, based on a dynamic monitoring project, the Former National Population and Family Planning Commission has been conducting researches on the migrant population’s social integration theories and policies, to explore establishing set of indicators for migrant population’s social integration. This year China have conducted integration evaluation in eight cities, in terms of the migrant population’s economic standing, social acceptance, identity and culture integration. This year, on 25th September, we plan to convene a symposium on Sino-German Migrant Population Social Integration in Wuhan. During the symposium, the migrant population’s integration index will be discussed and released, and local experience will be exchanged in this regard. We welcome media attention on this event.