China and the disabled, small signs of hope for the future
Guangdong’s draft law on NGOs rekindles debate on the disabled and Chinese society’s treatment of them. A source that has worked for years in social work tells AsiaNews: "We witness small steps forward, the situation seems to improve for a category that has always been marginalised."
Guangzhou (AsiaNews) - The new law currently being examined by the government of Guangdong on the registration of NGOs in China has reopened the debate on the situation of disabled people in the country and society’s attitude toward them. Several sources contacted by AsiaNews, explain that the draft law "is not so much a step forward in the registration of NGOs, as in the vision that China reserves towards the disabled".
According to the draft, Guangdong (the country's richest province, the real "engine" of economic growth) is preparing to eliminate the role of " government patron ", which is required for each non-governmental organization that wants to register and then operate in the Chinese territory. This figure is the biggest obstacle to NGOs: often it is a government controller, who severely restricts the work of social organizations.
The new law, which should come into force next July 1, covers eight categories of NGOs: several analysts explain, however, that the categories do not include those that deal with human or political rights. A source tells AsiaNews: "The laws in China are very complicated to analyze. But the fact that we are speaking of people with disabilities, of the non-governmental organizations that care for them, is in fact a sign of a great opening. "
Another source, who works in Guangzhou in a hospice for disabled, agrees with the analysis: "China has always had a very hard stance towards illnesses. But in recent times, something is changing: in recent months, for example, we organized a gala dinner to raise money for our patients. And for the first time, a Chinese group gave us what we needed. Usually foreigners cover the main part. "
For cultural and political reasons, Chinese society has always had a natural repulsion for the disabled and discriminated against them keeping them at home marginalized from the population, and they were subject to daily persecution. But the law, and these testimonies seem to revolutionize the attitude towards their situation.
In short, the source concludes, there is "a palpable increase in the sympathy and interest in the issue. It is no small thing, these are important signals because social discrimination is the worst enemy we face every day. We still don’t know much about this law, but I think symbolizes the fact that in the end, people with disabilities have become part of the country. "
According to the draft, Guangdong (the country's richest province, the real "engine" of economic growth) is preparing to eliminate the role of " government patron ", which is required for each non-governmental organization that wants to register and then operate in the Chinese territory. This figure is the biggest obstacle to NGOs: often it is a government controller, who severely restricts the work of social organizations.
The new law, which should come into force next July 1, covers eight categories of NGOs: several analysts explain, however, that the categories do not include those that deal with human or political rights. A source tells AsiaNews: "The laws in China are very complicated to analyze. But the fact that we are speaking of people with disabilities, of the non-governmental organizations that care for them, is in fact a sign of a great opening. "
Another source, who works in Guangzhou in a hospice for disabled, agrees with the analysis: "China has always had a very hard stance towards illnesses. But in recent times, something is changing: in recent months, for example, we organized a gala dinner to raise money for our patients. And for the first time, a Chinese group gave us what we needed. Usually foreigners cover the main part. "
For cultural and political reasons, Chinese society has always had a natural repulsion for the disabled and discriminated against them keeping them at home marginalized from the population, and they were subject to daily persecution. But the law, and these testimonies seem to revolutionize the attitude towards their situation.
In short, the source concludes, there is "a palpable increase in the sympathy and interest in the issue. It is no small thing, these are important signals because social discrimination is the worst enemy we face every day. We still don’t know much about this law, but I think symbolizes the fact that in the end, people with disabilities have become part of the country. "
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