A new law that comes into effect Monday, which requires Chinese to visit and take care of ageing parents or face charges.
Aging parents seeking emotional support from their family is a global concern. The Chinese government is the first to take matters into its own hands by implementing a law which requires children of aging parents to visit them more often and fulfill their financial and spiritual needs or face charges.
The new law comes in the face of mounting difficulty in taking care of the growing elderly population in China. According to a report from the China National Committee On Aging, the number of Chinese aged above 60 years is expected to rise by 35 percent in the next 40 years. Currently, there are 185 million elderly Chinese, which according to the report may go up to 487 million by 2053.
The Chinese culture and morality is based on a foundation of respect, care and learning from elders. But of late many ageing parents were found to be deprived of emotional support from their adult children.
The primary reason for the new law is to raise awareness among people to offer emotional support to their aging parents, Xiao Jinming, law professor at the Shandong University, told the Associated Press. Several cases of parents fighting for emotional support from their offspring were registered, which also emphasized the need to implement this new law.
China's legislature revised the law in December last year, after several instances of similar cases. The court often settled such disputes by arranging a mutual agreement between the parents and their children, mostly with no monetary fines involved.
The revised law does not specify how often the children are required to visit their aging parents or on failing to do so what would be the penalties.
