The National Population and Family Planning Commission formally launched the three-year pilot program "Care For Girls" in March of last year.

Eleven provinces and autonomous regions were selected for the pilot work: Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Shaanxi provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

During the three years publicity activities will be carried out to raise public awareness of the laws and regulations regarding protection of rights for women and children, and to foster a new birth culture which highlights gender equality.

Local governments in the pilot areas have been asked to work out social and economic policies and establish a social security system that favors girls and their families to help them develop income-generating household economy and enjoy a better quality of life.

Actions will also be taken to strengthen management of the application of medical ultrasonic and chromosome testing technologies to avoid prenatal sex selection of unborn children. Violators will be severely punished.

Special health care will be given to women during pregnancy and the post-natal period and their babies will get special care to improve physical quality and effectively reduce the mortality rate.

The local populations and family planning organizations will further improve contraceptive distribution and consulting services in order to maintain a high contraceptive prevalence rate and therefore prevent accidental pregnancies.

If all the targets of the pilot work are fulfilled, by 2005 the high gender disparity among newborns is expected to decrease dramatically and the program will be expanded nationwide.

Most of the pilot provinces have established a special office to take charge of the implementation of "Care For Girls" and have mapped out their respective action plans, according to sources with the National Population and Family Planning Commission.

(China Daily July 8, 2004)