Xinjiang official calls for fewer births, later marriage in rural south

A senior political advisor for the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Wednesday urged strict measures to combat early marriages, high divorce rates and rapid population growth in southern Xinjiang, media reported.

Speaking at a Wednesday conference of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Xinjiang regional committee, Hou Hanmin, a CPPCC member, pointed out that the rural areas of southern Xinjiang have seen extensive early marriages and high divorce rates in recent years, with worryingly high birth rates, Hou said.

"This negatively effects not only the physical and mental health of children and women, but also the population quality in the region, posing risks to social stability," Hou said.

According to local family planning polices, a Uyghur family can give birth to up to three children.

Many local couples fail to follow marriage laws and do not register their marriages in local civil affairs bureaus, Hou said, instead choosing only to get a religious marriage. Some girls, under the pressure from their parents, are even married by illegal religious personnel, according to Hou.

A survey by Hou found that 50 percent of 500 women in one village were married before the age of 18, becoming a grandmother at the age of 34. Of those surveyed, 45 percent have been divorced.

Some couples were divorced with the husband only saying "talaq" three times, which means divorce in Arabic.

"Not following marriage law will make it hard for women who suffer domestic violence to safeguard their rights," Hou said, suggesting educating the local population about strengthening the implementation and popularization of marriage law.