Beijing’s Hollow Rhetoric: China Betrays Its 1995 Women’s Rights Commitments
All eyes are on China, which is all set to host a global summit of women in Beijing in October, to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1995 World Conference on Women. Thirty years ago, the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women was successfully held in Beijing, where participating countries pledged to promote gender equality and women’s all-round development.
Unfortunately, China has done little to fulfill its commitment, as it has always taken regressive steps towards gender equality.
The ISHR come down heavily on the Chinese government for taking repressive steps against women. In a statement, the ISHR highlighted the continued repression of women activists in China. The statement, delivered at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, stated that feminist activists and women human rights defenders (WHRDs) face increasing State repression, including censorship, surveillance, arbitrary detention, harassment, and politically motivated charges.
Broader movements such as the #MeToo movement, which was inspired by global efforts to expose sexual harassment and gender-based violence, have been targeted by a government that refuses to yield space for any form of organizing or an independent civil society. While enjoying support from younger generations, China’s #MeToo movement has been confronted by a still predominantly patriarchal society and conservative courts dismissing the rare cases brought by survivors.
Leading women activists, Huang Xueqin and He Fangmei, have been detained without any valid reason. Huang Xueqin, a journalist and key #MeToo activist, was sentenced to five years in prison following a secret trial. Meanwhile, He Fangmei, a vaccine safety advocate, was sentenced to five years and six months, and her children’s whereabouts remain unknown after being taken by authorities. UN Special Procedures experts have addressed many letters to Chinese authorities raising concerns about their continuous detention.
The UN women’s rights committee in its report 2023expressed concern over the fact that in Mainland China, women represent only 26.54 per cent of deputies to the 14th National People’s Congress, and that since October 2022, there have been no women at the highest executive level.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expressed concern in its China report (2023) over reports of women human rights defenders facing intimidation, harassment, and gender-based violence, including by State officials. The ISHR clearly pointed out that women activists and human rights defenders have been living under fear. Chinese feminists face harsh and intersecting forms of oppression from a patriarchal society and a repressive State – far away from its 1995 commitments. Despite the government’s crackdown, in particular on China’s #MeToo movement, feminist activists across China and in the diaspora continue to organize, raise awareness, and build solidarity across movements.
In March, the Chinese government released a white paper titled “China’s Achievements in Women’s Well-Rounded Development in the New Era.” The spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, claimed that China was not only an advocate but also an active actor in promoting gender equality and women’s all-round development—claims that are totally baseless and far from reality.
The white paper projected to showcase China’s key achievements in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is nothing but a complete farce.
Women activists have accused China of not caring for women’s reproductive rights. It adopted the one-child policy in the mid-1980s and took strict action against women who went for a second or third child. In 2016, this one-child policy backfired as the country saw a sharp decline in population. In a knee-jerk reaction, China adopted a two-child policy and then a three-child policy in 2020, forcing women to produce three children—thereby infringing upon their reproductive rights for political interests.
According to an article in The Diplomat, as China’s birth rate declines to its lowest point in history and the number of couples getting married drops to a nearly 40-year low, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is encouraging young women to marry and have children. Yet, many Millennial and Gen Z women in China no longer view marriage as a necessary or even desired aspect of life.
The Chinese authorities also have a long track record of targeting women who attempt to combat sexual harassment on public transportation. In 2015, Chinese authorities detained five feminists, namely Li Maizi, Wei Tingting, Wu Rongrong, Zheng Churan, and Wang Man. Later known as the ‘Feminist Five,’ they planned to hand out stickers on public transportation on International Women’s Day to raise awareness about sexual harassment. A study conducted by professors at City University of Hong Kong found that over 80 percent of women in China reported experiencing sexual abuse on public transport. Although China’s #MeToo movement has helped women speak out against this abuse, reports suggest that it still occurs all too often.
According to an article in ThinkChina.sg, since ancient times, there have been numerous great women in China, but their stories have all been transformed into absurd romantic ones. It is highly possible that modern female leaders in China will become the heroines of love TV series decades later. How to balance family and career is always a question that only women have to answer, and not the government.
Following social expectations means there is less devotion to one’s career, which in turn legitimates the saying that “women cannot be competent leaders.” On the other hand, if they do the contrary, they are irritated all the time when they hear the warning that “the hen cackles in the morning louder than the cock’s crowing.”
As Beijing prepares to host the upcoming women’s summit, the world should not blindly trust its carefully crafted rhetoric. China’s track record on gender equality is marked by repression, censorship, and repeated violations of women’s rights—from silencing activists to infringing upon reproductive freedom. Hosting a summit cannot erase decades of regressive policies. Beijing must be held accountable and reprimanded for betraying the very commitments it made in 1995. The Xi government has no legitimate right to dictate how women should live their lives, let alone compel them to produce three children for political convenience.It does allow women politicians to rise and lead. Its claims of empowering women are, therefore, nothing more than hollow rhetoric.
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