Rights of children and kinship foster care in China
Xiaoyuan Shang and Morris Saldov
Social Policy Research Centre
Contact Email:   x.shangunsw.edu.au

The paper examines the system of child care and protection in rural China from the perspective of child rights. Based on field investigations from 2005 to 2008, the authors find that the premise of child protection is child contracts instead of human rights of children. That means children are protected because they are expected to take responsibilities and obligations to repay their parents or guardians. The main problems facing the system include: i) Female and disabled children are discriminated; ii) mothers are excluded from caring for children; iii) without external support, the main care givers: grandparents, are not capable of providing orphans adequate support, and orphans may face high risks in their life and poverty. The paper concludes that it is urgent that China establishes a child rights based system of care and protection.

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