Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: The publication of our Death By Default
in January 1996 was followed by weeks
of intense media coverage. We found
that most
orphaned or abandoned children in China
die within one year of their admittance
to state-run orphanages and that the
government does little or nothing to
prevent it.
Human Rights Watch's Summary of the Publication
A Follow-Up
The publication of our Death By Default in January 1996 was followed
by weeks of intense media coverage. We found that most
orphaned or abandoned children in China die within one year of their
admittance to state-run orphanages and that the government does
little or nothing to prevent it. While the report generated a
response that was overwhelmingly supportive, it also provoked sharp
criticism, not only from the Chinese government, which was expected,
but also from some concerned groups and individuals in the West who
felt that the report would harm rather than help the children in
these institutions. Others differed with our perceptions of the
observable conditions in China's orphanages or misunderstood our
arguments and conclusions. We address the various charges that arose
and respond to the Chinese government's allegations that the report
was a fabrication