Internal migrants in China, a group of over 150 million people, frequently face multiple vulnerabilities, particularly regarding their reproductive health. However, the Chinese government's decision last month marks a potential improvement in guaranteeing the reproductive rights of migrants. The Government decided to distribute free contraceptives to the migrant population, which was previously denied access to the free condoms distribution system.
In some respects, the Government's motives are suspect. With the National Population and Family Planning Commission estimating that 70 percent of the migrant population is of childbearing age, fear of breaches of the one child norm is at play. To the extent that male migrants are the primary targets of this initiative, a further and valid driving force is the spread of HIV transmissions among migrants, given the vulnerability of mobile groups. This stems from the Ministry of Health's fears that sex has overtaken intravenous drug use (IDU) as the main cause of HIV/AIDS transmission in China.
"Relations involving multiple sexual partners have increased as male farmers flocked to cities, thus increasing the possibility of HIV transmission," said Wu Zunyou, director of the National Center for AIDS/STD Prevention and Control. He believes that migrant groups are sexually active, but unaware of how to protect themselves.
The inclusion of migrants in the free contraceptives program is one of several government initiatives since late 2008 designed to reduce HIV vulnerability among migrant populations. However, insufficient numbers of people undertaking HIV tests, underreporting of rates of HIV infection and general lack of transparency about the issue, which I have discussed previously, mean it is difficult to assess whether such programs have or will be successful.
In December 2008, the Government was involved in the launch of a joint campaign to reduce discrimination against HIV/AIDS and to encourage safe sex among male migrant workers. In some areas, including bars in Beijing and construction sites with more than 500 workers, the Government has also set up automatic condom-vending machines. In Dalian City, in the northeast province of Liaoning, the Government also provided 3,000 migrants with free HIV tests in 2008.
One of the gravest shortcomings, in terms of reproductive rights, is the common case of public health initiatives and reproductive health programming aimed migrant populations. In an effort to target HIV-prevention, insufficient attention is given to other reproductive health vulnerabilities associated with mobility. Migrant women, in particular, frequently lack access to sexual and reproductive health services, whether because of unaffordable user fees or lack of access to national health schemes.
Several years ago, one Chinese writer revealed the vulnerability of migrant women in China, reporting that although China's Labor Law guarantees women workers maternity leave and protection for their reproductive health. The large supply of workers places employers in a position to refuse to pay maternity leave, or fire women who are pregnant. Zhang Ye also reported the general and specific reproductive health harms resulting from factory working conditions, specifically in the footwear and garment factories, where workers face chemical fumes, unbearable heat and long hours of standing.
This is not to suggest that migrant women are completely being ignored. In April, Li Bin, China's minister in charge of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, reported to the United Nation's Commission of Population and Development the intention of the Government to issue regulations on reproductive and family planning of migrants to protect their reproductive rights. Recently, there has also been an increased focus on corporate social responsibility, targeting companies like Nike, Disney and Levi Strauss. One project is focused on the role of companies to recognize the harmful effect of neglecting women's reproductive health.
In reality, HIV vulnerability is one of many vulnerabilities internal migrants in China face, particularly with respect to lack of redress for violations of labor rights, including workplace hazards and absence of pay. However, in the specific case of the reproductive rights of migrant women, it seems that Government-funded programming, at present, is insufficient at addressing the very particular set of vulnerabilities facing this population, including mandatory health testing, denied pregnancy, forced abortion and lack of access to healthcare. Though the Government of China's efforts in terms of free HIV testing are indeed commendable, in reality they are only one part of a wider approach that is essential to guarantee the reproductive rights of the very significant internal migrant population in terms of the reproductive rights violations Chinese women migrants suffered in the past.
