China consider passing law which forces youngsters to look after elderly parents... or face jail

By DAVID GARDNER FOR MAILONLINE
Updated: 03:01 EST, 7 January 2011

• Eighth of China's population is over 60 years old
• More than half of them live alone at the moment
• 167 million people aged over 60 and one million over 80

China is considering a new law to force people to visit their elderly parents.

Under the terms of the draft legislation, pensioners who are ignored by their children will have the right to take them to court.

In traditional Chinese culture, it is a moral requirement for children to take care of their ageing parents, but work pressures and growing migration have frayed family ties.

Soon young relatives could be made to look after their elders

Decades of enforcing a law restricting families to just one child has also left fewer workers supporting more elderly relatives.

If the law is passed, children could face fines or even jail if they snub court rulings to physically and mentally look after their parents.

The Chinese are struggling to cope with the demands of a growing demographic.

An eighth of its population is over 60 and more than half of them live alone.

Wu Ming, an official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said the change is being ushered in as an amendment to the 1996 Law on Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Aged.

‘Elderly parents can resort to law according to the amendment if their adult children do not visit or spend enough time with them,’ he said.

‘In the past, such cases might not have been accepted by the courts, but now things will be different,’ he added.

However, a Chinese lawyer said the new ruling would be difficult to uphold.

‘It would be better to strengthen moral education than to force people to do something legally,’ Qian Jun told state media yesterday.

The amendment also encourages local governments to give pensions and free medical services to people over 80.

China has nearly 167 million people aged over 60 and one million over 80.

According to a recent study, 130 million Chinese have moved to cities searching for jobs, leaving nearly 60 million growing up apart from one or both parents.