One-child policy back in focus amid ‘reallocated’ case in China

Outcry over use of term in case of elderly parents searching for son forcibly taken from them in 1990

- Aw Cheng Wei

Deng Xiaozhou had just turned one when he was forcibly taken away from his parents in 1990, as his family had breached China’s one-child policy.

He was the seventh child and his parents could not afford the 6,000 yuan fine to keep him, so the authorities “reallocated” him to another home, the local media reported earlier this month.

His parents, now elderly, have been searching for him ever since – a 32-year-long pursuit – to no avail. Local officials did not keep a record of the “reallocation”, foiling their quest.

The Dengs had appealed to the authorities to investigate their son’s whereabouts, and accused officials of abducting him.

Their case made headlines in the country when an official letter rejecting their appeal went viral on microblogging platform Weibo, with hashtags related to the case drawing up to 100 million views on July 5.

Netizens were outraged at the use of the term “reallocation” for the removal of a child from his parents, with some accusing the local government of child trafficking.

China enforced a one-child policy in 1979 to curb a population boom.