Investigation into hukou refusals
Print Edition
AN investigation into claims family planning officials are conspiring with police over hukou, or household registration, for “extra babies” has been launched by the government of Xiushui County in east China’s Jiangxi Province.
Xiushui family planning officials are alleged to be giving police 200 yuan (US$32.02) to 400 yuan for each refusal to process hukou to children of families who haven’t paid fines for contravening the one-child policy.
Chen Xiaodai, deputy director of the county’s population and family planning commission, denied any such “secret deal” with police, according to yesterday’s Beijing News.
Chen said police had helped when family planning officials became caught up in disputes, sometimes violent, when trying to collect fines, or “social maintenance fees” from families. Thus, he said, certain funds would be allocated to police in appreciation of their efforts.
According to a State Council notice in May 2010, authorities must register all Chinese citizens unconditionally and registration can’t be linked to fines.
However, refusing hukou has often been seen as an effective way to enforce the payment of fines.
But the consequence has been a rise in the number of unregistered people — some 13 million people, according to the 2010 national census.
The hukou system ties access to basic local welfare and public services to place of residence. Without a legal identity, people can’t go to school, get jobs or even get married.
Xiushui villager Leng Xuemei’s two grandsons, aged 1 and 2, had suffered from the policies adopted by the local government and the police, the newspaper reported.
When she went to her local police station she was told to see family planning officials first. They said she had to pay fines of nearly 30,000 yuan (US$4,803) before the boys could be registered. Police in nearby Bailing, Heshi and Huanglong also adopted a “fines first, hukou second” policy, the newspaper said.
Fines for extra births had become a major source of income for Xiushui County, it reported, with its official website showing it raised more than 20 million yuan in 2012.
The paper found that nearly 80 percent of the fines had been returned to local township family planning authorities for routine operations including paying salaries and increased allowances.
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