Grown children in China must visit
their parents or potentially face fines
or jail, a new law that came into
effect on Monday says. China's new "Elderly Rights Law" deals
with the growing problem of lonely
elderly people by ordering adult
children to visit their ageing parents. The law says adults should care about
their parents "spiritual needs" and
"never neglect or snub elderly people". The regulation has been ridiculed by
tens of thousands of Chinese web users. Many across China are questioning how
the law could be enforced, since it fails
to spell out a detailed schedule
dictating the frequency with which
children should make parental house
calls. "Those who live far away from parents
should go home often," it says. However, that does not mean the law is
toothless. Instead, it serves as an "educational
message" to the public, while also
serving as a starting point for law suits,
explained Zhang Yan Feng, a lawyer
with Beijing's King & Capital Law Firm. "It's hard to put this law into practice,
but not impossible," Mr Zhang
explained. "If a case is brought to court on the
basis of this law, I think it'll probably
end up in a peaceful settlement. But if
no settlement is reached, technically
speaking, court rulings can force the
person to visit home certain times a month." "If this person disobeys court rulings, he
could be fined or detained." 'Spontaneous emotions' But few in China seem to fear they will
end up behind bars if they fail to log
visits home. "Who doesn't want to visit home
often? What is considered "often"? Who
will oversee the process?" complained
one poster on weibo, China's version of
Twitter. "We all know to cherish our elderly
parents, but sometimes we are just too
busy trying to make a living and the
pressure is too much." "It's fine that no-one is paying for us to
visit our parents, but is there someone
who can give us time off to do it?"
asked another. The question of how to deal with
ageing parents is a mounting problem
in China. According to Chinese government
statistics, more than 178 million people
in China were 60 years or older in 2010.
By 2030, that figure will double. As China's population goes grey, the
Chinese media fills with stories of
neglected old people. Many were shocked by the story of a
91-year-old grandmother who was
beaten and forced out of her home in
China's southern Jiangsu province after
she asked her daughter-in-law for a
bowl of rice porridge. Two days later, internet forums were
filled with a similar story of farmers in
the same province who allowed their
family's 100-year-old matriarch to sleep
in a pig sty, sharing close quarters with
a pungent pig. But those stories have not lead most
people to support the new Elderly
Rights Law. "Family bonds should be based on
spontaneous emotions," argued one
weibo user. "It's funny to make it part of a law; it's
like requiring couples to have a
harmonious sex life after marriage."
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-23124345

damn... chinkos are funny people...

does the law state how much they must repatriate home too

justirich: Grown children in China must visit
their parents or potentially face fines
or jail, a new law that came into
effect on Monday says. China's new "Elderly Rights Law" deals
with the growing problem of lonely
elderly people by ordering adult
children to visit their ageing parents. The law says adults should care about
their parents "spiritual needs" and
"never neglect or snub elderly people". The regulation has been ridiculed by
tens of thousands of Chinese web users. Many across China are questioning how
the law could be enforced, since it fails
to spell out a detailed schedule
dictating the frequency with which
children should make parental house
calls. "Those who live far away from parents
should go home often," it says. However, that does not mean the law is
toothless. Instead, it serves as an "educational
message" to the public, while also
serving as a starting point for law suits,
explained Zhang Yan Feng, a lawyer
with Beijing's King & Capital Law Firm. "It's hard to put this law into practice,
but not impossible," Mr Zhang
explained. "If a case is brought to court on the
basis of this law, I think it'll probably
end up in a peaceful settlement. But if
no settlement is reached, technically
speaking, court rulings can force the
person to visit home certain times a month." "If this person disobeys court rulings, he
could be fined or detained." 'Spontaneous emotions' But few in China seem to fear they will
end up behind bars if they fail to log
visits home. "Who doesn't want to visit home
often? What is considered "often"? Who
will oversee the process?" complained
one poster on weibo, China's version of
Twitter. "We all know to cherish our elderly
parents, but sometimes we are just too
busy trying to make a living and the
pressure is too much." "It's fine that no-one is paying for us to
visit our parents, but is there someone
who can give us time off to do it?"
asked another. The question of how to deal with
ageing parents is a mounting problem
in China. According to Chinese government
statistics, more than 178 million people
in China were 60 years or older in 2010.
By 2030, that figure will double. As China's population goes grey, the
Chinese media fills with stories of
neglected old people. Many were shocked by the story of a
91-year-old grandmother who was
beaten and forced out of her home in
China's southern Jiangsu province after
she asked her daughter-in-law for a
bowl of rice porridge. Two days later, internet forums were
filled with a similar story of farmers in
the same province who allowed their
family's 100-year-old matriarch to sleep
in a pig sty, sharing close quarters with
a pungent pig. But those stories have not lead most
people to support the new Elderly
Rights Law. "Family bonds should be based on
spontaneous emotions," argued one
weibo user. "It's funny to make it part of a law; it's
like requiring couples to have a
harmonious sex life after marriage."
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-23124345

@bolded, exactly.This chinko people and laws fir everything.

I applaud this initiative, its a welcum development to mankind, I wonder y it is bin criticised? If it were a country passing a bill in favour of same sex union or tax laws or FEMINISM, OBAMA n sum NLs wud av gone airborn in support n lauding. But here is a law that supports family life and aged pple n I can guess only 4 comment on Nl. Our Naija senators n GENERALS shud tink twice cos wen age cums no body shud beg d government for support. Front page please.

Not everyone has / had a happy childhood and memories.

This won't work for that category of people wanting to escape their past.

Thank God for naija.at least no matter how corrupt we be,we no dey forget our aged.infact,its a curse on one's generation not to take care of them.nigerians de fear curse wellu wellu!(We get exceptions sha!)