The car belonged to an official of the population control bureau. The parents were being transported to the small office to be fined. The one-child policy is criticized by demographers because it contributes to a rapidly aging population and decreasing workforce. But the government continues to implement it.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - An employee of population control bureau ran his car over a 13 months baby of a couple guilty of violating the one-child policy. The episode that took place in Wenzhou (Zhejiang), was only revealed today. Local authorities are investigating the incident. The child was quickly brought to hospital, but died shortly after.

The People's Daily, reporting the incident, revealed that at the moment of the accident the child's mother was being forced to get into the official's car and the father of the child was about to get in. It is likely that the child was run over through carelessness rather than intentionally.

For more than 30 years in China has applied the law requiring couples to have only one child, with the exception for some ethnic minorities and couples of rural farmers where the eldest is female. The couples who have more children affected must pay high taxes (often one or two years of salary), or are forced to undergo abortions and forced sterilizations.

The one-child policy is criticized by demographic experts because of the rapid aging of the population and decreasing work force in society. Nevertheless, the minister for population control, Xia Wang pointed out that the law will not be cancelled and that it will remain in place "for a long time."

• china
• one
• child
• policy
• communist
• government
• human
• rights