Protest against China's family planning policies - Minister in London
Madam Li Bin, China'sMinister of National Population and Family Planning Commission is visiting the UK 17-19 May2010. She will be in Londonon Wednesday 19 May and has a meeting in Conway Street from 3pm to 5pm. Theprotest is to highlight the Chinese government's family planning policies,which result in reproductive rights violations. Women in Tibet, East Turkestanand across China are coerced into sterlisations and abortions, to limit thenumber of children per family, and are often given little, if any, education orfreedom of choice relating to birth control methods.Please gather from 2.30pm to ensure the Minister sees the protest on herarrival.LOCATION: 1 Conway Street(south of Fitzroy Square),London W1T 6LPNEAREST TUBE STATIONS: Warren Streetor Great Portland Street.Please note: this peaceful protest is to send a message to the ChineseMinister. It is not a protest against the organisation the Minister isvisiting, Marie Stopes International, who will hopefully be showing theMinister best practices in the areas of family planning.BACKGROUND: Due to strict controls and censorship by the Chinese authorities,current information and exact figures on reproductive rights violations arevirtually impossible to obtain. However first-hand accounts continue to beobtained from those who've escaped from Tibet.In a report published in 2003 theUN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, expressed her concern aboutthe situation of Tibetan women. The Rapporteur said, "Women in Tibetcontinue to undergo hardship and are also subjected to gender-specific crimes,including reproductive rights violations such as forced sterilisation, forcedabortion, coercive birth control policies and the monitoring of menstrualcycles."
Protest report and photos1 in Chinese
UN Report Cites Gender-Specific Crimes Against Tibetan Women (14 April 2003) http://www.savetibet.org/media-center/ict-news-reports/un-report-cites-gender-specific-crimes-against-tibetan-women
State power violated reproductive rights (in Chinese)
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