Human rights in China

There is disagreement about human rights in China. The Chinese Communist Party, the government of the People's Republic of China and their supporters say that existing policies and enforcement measures are sufficient to guard against human rights abuses. Other countries and their authorities (such as the United States Department of State, and Global Affairs Canada), and some international non-governmental organizations including Human Rights in China and Amnesty International, and citizens, lawyers, and dissidents inside the country, say that the authorities in mainland China organize such abuses. They say freedom of speech, movement, and religion of its citizens are not respected.

The Chinese authorities say that they define human rights differently. They include economic and social as well as political rights, all in relation to "national culture" and the level of development of the country.^[1] Their definition is not the same as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Chinese constitution has the Four Cardinal Principles which they say are more important:

1. The principle of upholding the socialist path
2. The principle of upholding the people's democratic dictatorship
3. The principle of upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
4. The principle of upholding Mao Zedong Thought and Marxism–Leninism^[2]

In 2001, homosexuality was removed from the official list of mental illnesses in China.^[3] China recognizes neither same-sex marriage nor civil unions.^[4]

According to the criminal law of the PRC, only females can be victims of rape, and a man who has been raped cannot accuse the rapists (who can be men or women) of rape. However, the criminal law of the PRC's constitution in mainland China had been amended in August 2015. Thus, males can be victims of indecency, but the articles on the criminal law which are related to rape still remain unchanged, so male rape victims can only accuse the rapists of indecency.^[5][6]

In 2023 China got the lowest ranking in the world for safety from state actions and the right to assemble by the New Zealand Human Rights Measurement Initiative. It did much better on economic indicators, such as the right to food, health and housing.^[7]

1. ↑ "Govt. White Papers - china.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
2. ↑ Shambaugh, David (2000). The Modern Chinese State. Cambridge University Press. p. 184. ISBN 9780521776035.
3. ↑ Schultz, Stefan (8 March 2013). "Life Remains Difficult for Gays and Lesbians in China". Der Spiegel.
4. ↑ Tania Branigan in Beijing (25 February 2009). "Gay rights China Beijing". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
5. ↑ 中华人民共和国刑法修正案（九）. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
6. ↑ 刑法修改：猥亵罪不再限定女性 收买妇女儿童一律构成犯罪.
7. ↑ Hawkins, Amy; correspondent, Amy Hawkins senior China (2023-06-21). "China is state most dangerous to its own citizens' civil rights, report finds". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-01. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)