The one-child policy relies on a mix of sticks and carrots. Depending on where they live, couples can be fined thousands of doll
ars for having a supernumerary child without a permit, and reports of forced abortions or sterilization are common. (Blind rural activist Chen Guangcheng made international headlines in 2005 for exposing just such a campaign by family-planning officials in Eastern China; he was later imprisoned on charges his supporters say were retaliatory.) The law also offers longer maternity leave and other benefits to couples that delay childbearing. Those who volunteer to have only one child are awarded a "Certificate of Honor for Single-Child Parents." Since 1979, the law has prevented some 250 million births, saving China from a population explosion the nation would have difficulty accommodating. What measures did China historically take to execute its one-child policy?
The policy was enacted to address the growth rate of the country's population, which the government viewed as being too rapid. The policy was enforced by methods ranging from offering financial perks for families in compliance and providing contraceptives to implementing forced sterilizations and forced abortions.
