Homelessness in China is a social issue. In 2011, there were approximately 2.41 million homeless adults and 179,000 homeless children living in the country.[1] However, owing to government policies and housing schemes, China has managed, to some extent, to tackle the problem.
Causes
editIn 2015, it was reported that there are more than 3 million people who are homeless in China but recently this number has fallen significantly. [2] Housing in China is highly regulated by the Hukou system. This gives rise to a large number of migrant workers, numbering at 290.77 million in 2019.[3] These migrant workers have rural Hukou, but they move to the cities in order to find better jobs, though due to their rural Hukou they are entitled to fewer privileges than those with urban Hukou[citation needed]. According to Huili et al.,[4] these migrant workers "live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions" and are always at risk of displacement to make way for new real estate developments. In 2017, the government responded to a deadly fire in a crowded building in Beijing by cracking down on dense illegal shared accommodations and evicting the residents, leaving many migrant laborers homeless.[5] This comes in the context of larger attempts by the government to limit the population increase in Beijing, often targeting migrant laborers.[6] However, according to official government statistics,[3] migrant workers in China have an average of 20.4 square metres (220 sq ft) of living space per capita, and the vast majority of migrant workers have basic living facilities such as heating, bathing, refrigerators, and washing machines.
Several natural disasters have led to homelessness in China. The 2000 Yunnan earthquake left 92,479 homeless and destroyed over 41,000 homes.[7]
Homelessness among people with mental health problems is 'much less common' in China than in high-income countries, due to stronger family ties, but is increasing due to migration within families and as a result of the one-child policy. A study in Xiangtan found at least 2439 schizophrenic people that have been homeless on a total population of 2.8 million. It was found that "homelessness was more common in individuals from rural communities (where social support services are limited), among those who wander away from their communities (i.e., those not from Xiangtan municipality), and among those with limited education (who are less able to mobilize social supports). Homelessness was also associated with greater age; [the cause] may be that older patients have ‘burned their bridges’ with relatives and, thus, end up on the streets."[8]
During the Cultural Revolution a large part of child welfare homes were closed down, leaving their inhabitants homeless. By the late 1990s, many new homes were set up to accommodate abandoned children. In 1999, the Ministry of Civil Affairs estimated the number of abandoned children in welfare homes to be 66,000.[9]
Efforts to assist the homeless
editAccording to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, China had approximately 2,000 shelters and 20,000 social workers to aid approximately 3 million homeless people in 2014.[10]
From 2017 to 2019, the government of Guangdong Province assisted 5,388 homeless people in reuniting with relatives elsewhere in China. The Guangdong government assisted more than 150,000 people over a three-year period.[11]
In 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced several actions of the Central Committee in response to homelessness, including increasing support services and reuniting homeless people with their families.[12] In Wuhan, the situation for homeless people was particularly bad, as the lockdown made it impossible for homeless migrants to return to other parts of the country. The Wuhan Civil Affairs Bureau set up 69 shelters in the city to house 4,843 people.[13]
References
edit- ^ Hammond, Jenny. "Homelessness in China". GB Times. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ "Gov't Reaches Out to NGOs to Help Handle Its Problem with Homeless - Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ a b "2019年农民工监测调查报告". www.stats.gov.cn. National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ He, Huili; Su, Zhihao; Zhao, Jianjun; Pang, Yihui; Wang, Zhihe (16 April 2020). "Homelessness and the Universal Family in China". American Journal of Economics and Sociology. 79 (2): 453–474. doi:10.1111/ajes.12324. ISSN 1536-7150. S2CID 218851018. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Pinghui, Zhuang (25 November 2017). "Beijing's migrant workers forced out in deadly fire's aftermath". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ Pinghui, Zhuang (3 October 2017). "Beijing's population set to fall as migrant workers forced out". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ "Today In Earthquake History: January 14". USGS. 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- ^ Jinliang, C. H. E. N., et al. "Comparisons of family environment between homeless and non-homeless individuals with schizophrenia in Xiangtan, Hunan." Shanghai archives of psychiatry 27.3 (2015): 175.
- ^ Meng, Liu, and Zhu Kai. "Orphan care in China." Social Work & Society 7.1 (2009): 43-57.
- ^ Menglu, Sheng. "China Can't Help Its Homeless Alone". Slate. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ "广东深入开展长期滞留流浪乞讨人员寻亲送返专项行动 两年共帮助5388名滞留流浪乞讨人员成功寻亲". Department of Civil Affairs of Guangdong Province. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "全国生活无着的流浪乞讨人员救助管理服务质量大提升专项行动动员部署电视电话会议在京召开_部门政务_中国政府网". Government of China. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ Lei, Li (19 March 2020). "Homeless at higher risk during coronavirus outbreak - Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. China Daily. Retrieved 25 June 2020.