No Choice Allowed: China's Hollow Celebration Of International Children's Day'

WASHINGTON -- On June 1, parents around the world will hug their children and spend time bonding with their families. A tradition dating back to the 1920s, the International Children's Day is a celebration of life and hope, a time to honor future generations. But for Chinese women, children and family come with a heavy cost.

China's response to a growing population was to enact a rash policy with far-reaching reproductive restrictions. The unintended effects and violent implementation of the One Child per Couple policy have permeated Chinese society. Under the One Child policy, more than 400 million babies have been "prevented" in China in the last 30 years — most of them girls. 400 million tiny futures brutally ended. 400 million voices never had the chance to laugh with joy. The real crime – did mothers have another choice?

Join us on June 1 for a lunch panel discussion focused on the rights of children and women in China. Hear from Chinese rights experts about challenges to gender equality, the psychological trauma fostered in the absence of choice, grassroots initiatives for women and abandoned girls, and social alternatives facilitating reproductive rights. The panelists represent several organizations and backgrounds, including leadership at Tiananmen Square student demonstration for freedom in 1989. Now speaking out on behalf of justice for China's women, these panelists unite to promote the beauty of human dignity, choice and healing, and to suggest initiatives for empowering girls young and old.

Won't you choose to learn more?

Lunch Panel Speakers
Chai Ling, co-founder of Jenzabar Foundation and All Girls Allowed
Captain Xiong Yan, U.S. Army Chaplain
Reggie LittleJohn, President of Women's Rights without Frontiers
Moderator: Bob Fu, President of ChinaAid