Summary of China’s Migrant Population Report for 2013

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2014-05-16

IV Migrant population’s health and family planning worthy of attention

The Migrant population includes vulnerable groups in health and family planning work. Women of childbearing age have taken up an increasing part of the population, and the number of women giving birth outside their registered city is also on the rise. The number of these women was expected to reach 63.07 million in 2012, accounting for a fourth of all women of childbearing age across the country. The Migrant population’s children born the previous year accounted for a third of all births, and nearly 70 percent of pregnant women gave birth in their current city of residence. Migrant pregnant women and children are the key subjects 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 call for more 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. Next, the commission will increase public health service, and start a new round of pilot projects in 40 cities in October. It will use the projects to reinforce equalization for the migrant population. Priority will be given to areas where there are a large number of migrant population and to migrant women of childbearing age and children.

V Efforts needed to integrate migrant population into society

At the moment, developed countries work to integrate immigrants into society, as an important strategy to cope with the aging of the population, internal conflicts and to upgrade the labor force quality. Although China’s migrant workers are different from immigrants, gaps in public service and policy among regions, villages and cities have made it difficult for the rural population to merge with the city they dwell in. To push for urbanization in a large population country like China, we need to use strategic thinking and institutional arrangement in the integration work. The commission will work hard in health and family planning services for the migrant population and hold special care events for them through its network to help them integrate into society.

Since 2009, the National Population and Family Planning Commission has set up a dynamic monitoring project to study the migrant population’s social integration theories and policies. China have conducted integration evaluation in eight cities on the migrant population’s economic standing, social acceptance, identity and culture integration in 2013.

In addition, the addendum of the report recorded issues and major activities in migrant population service and management, and covered basic information about the nation’s migrant population and family planning work in 2012, as well as results of the monitoring and the latest statistics.

The report was the result of work by experts in population, economy, sociology, resources and environment fields, as well as exploration and thinking about migrant population service and management. The report will help related departments’ work and academic studies. The whole society will pay more attention to migrant population problems and help them exercise their legitimate rights. Let’s work together to build a harmonious society.