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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Congressional Hearing on Gender Imbalance and 'Gendercide' in China

Original title: GENDERCIDE: CHINA'S MISSING GIRLS

January 1, 2016

human rights China gender equality human trafficking demographics reproductive rights

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing examines the human rights and social stability implications of China's gender imbalance, which currently features 34 million more males than females, and its impact on global human trafficking.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Women and girls in China

They are subject to demographic imbalances and increased risks of human trafficking.

Chinese government

The hearing critiques their past child-limitation policies as a primary cause of the current gender imbalance.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2016.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document is a transcript from a 2016 Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing regarding the high number of 'missing' females in China. Witnesses and lawmakers discussed how government child-limitation policies and cultural preferences for sons have led to sex-selective abortions and increased human trafficking.

Key Facts

There are an estimated 34 million more males than females in China.
Approximately three girls are aborted every minute in China and India combined due to sex-selective practices.
An estimated 160 million females are 'missing' from Asia's population.
The hearing identifies sex-selective abortion as a primary driver of global gender imbalance.
Experts warn that the 'surplus male' population in China is linked to increased human trafficking, societal instability, and higher crime rates.
The hearing took place on February 3, 2016, in the Rayburn House Office Building.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 'gendercide'?

The term is used in the hearing to describe the systematic extermination of female children based solely on their gender.

Why is China's gender imbalance considered a security issue?

Lawmakers and experts argue that a large population of 'surplus males' can lead to increased human trafficking, higher crime rates, and general societal instability.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Demographic Consequences of Policy

The hearing explicitly links government-mandated child limitation policies to long-term, unintended demographic and security consequences.

China

Connected Entities

personChristopher Smith“Chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China”Map →

personMara Hvistendahl“Author and witness, expert on gender imbalance”Map →

personJulie Ford Brenning“Director of Research and China Outreach for Give Her Life”Map →

personChai Ling“Founder of All-Girls Allowed”Map →

organizationCongressional-Executive Commission on China“The body conducting the hearing”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance80
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy75
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment20
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

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