VII. Equal Protection of the Rights of Specific Groups

In the new era, human rights are enjoyed equally by all in China. The Chinese government attaches great importance to safeguarding the rights of specific groups in Xizang, including women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. It has continued to improve its mechanisms for protecting rights, so that all the groups share the opportunity to live a fulfilling life and realize their dreams. 

- Overall improvement in the protection of women's rights

The Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests is implemented in Xizang. By revising the Measures of the Xizang Autonomous Region for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests, the local people's congress of Xizang has steadily strengthened the protection of women's rights. The local government of the region has promulgated the Plan for Women's Development in the Xizang Autonomous Region (2021-2025), which lays out the objectives, tasks and priorities of women's development during the 14th Five-year Plan period (2021-2025).

Women's political rights are protected. The Measures of the Xizang Autonomous Region for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests clearly stipulate that state agencies, social organizations, enterprises, public institutions, and other organizations should ensure the political rights of women to participate in administering state and social affairs. In effect, women represent 36.6 percent of the region's delegates to the 20th CPC National Congress, 28 percent of its deputies to the 14th NPC, and 22.6 percent of its members of the 14th CPPCC National Committee. Among the delegates to the 10th Party Congress of the region, 32.4 percent are female; 30.6 percent of the deputies to the 12th People's Congress of the region are female, as are 28.1 percent of the members of the 12th CPPCC Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee. Additionally, all administrative villages or urban communities in Xizang have female members in their Party branches and villagers' or residents' committees.

The protection of women's health in Xizang is improving. The region continues to carry out its action plans for maternal and infant safety and for healthy children, and has provided breast cancer and cervical cancer screening for more than 500,000 women. A preferential policy for the cost of hospitalization for childbirth has been implemented, granting pregnant women from farming and pastoral areas full reimbursement of medical expenses, as well as a one-time hospital delivery subsidy of RMB1,000 and a prenatal living allowance of RMB300. Over the past five years, Xizang has provided more than RMB200 million in hospital delivery subsidies to over 267,000 pregnant women from farming and pastoral areas. The hospital delivery rate in the region has risen from 75.8 percent in 2012 to 99.15 percent in 2023, and the maternal mortality rate has dropped to 38.63 per 100,000. In 2023, the number of female beneficiaries of basic old-age pension schemes reached 1.18 million, and basic medical insurance, 1.62 million. 

The education level of women has also improved significantly. The gender gap in compulsory education has largely been eliminated, and the proportions of female students in regular higher education, graduate education, and adult higher education are all above 50 percent. 

- Stronger protection of children's rights

The system for protecting children's rights is improving. The local people's congress of Xizang has revised the Measures of the Xizang Autonomous Region for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors, making provisions for the protection of their legitimate rights and interests. These rights cover six aspects of minors' lives, including protection within the family, at school, by society at large, on the internet, by the government, and through judicial means. It has also promulgated the Measures of the Xizang Autonomous Region for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, leveraging its statutory oversight to facilitate inter-departmental mechanisms and measures for preventing crimes committed by minors and to strengthen control over the sources of juvenile delinquency. Additionally, the local government of Xizang has promulgated the Plan for Children's Development in the Xizang Autonomous Region (2021-2025). There are 32 juvenile courts, 82 three-in-one adjudicatory teams for juvenile criminal, civil, and administrative cases, and 11 one-stop prosecuting, inquiry, and assistance centers for juveniles across the region. 

The protection of children's health has seen a marked improvement across Xizang. A project to distribute free nutrition packs to children aged 6-36 months has benefited approximately 160,000 children. In 2013, a pilot program was launched to improve children's nutrition, and by 2016, it covered 74 county-level administrative units. In 2021, the children's nutrition improvement program was integrated into the drive to alleviate poverty through better healthcare and revitalize rural areas. The Measures of the Xizang Autonomous Region for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Maternal and Infant Health Care have been revised, and policy documents such as the implementation plans for the Action Plan for Maternal and Infant Safety in the Xizang Autonomous Region and the Action Plan for Healthy Children in the Xizang Autonomous Region have been issued, helping to reduce the infant mortality rate in the region to 5.37 per thousand as of 2023. 

The children's care and protection system has also improved. Xizang has implemented the three-year plan to improve the care of left-behind children in rural areas and children in need. As a result, the basic rights and interests of these children have been fully guaranteed, the guardianship system for them improved, care towards them more targeted and effective, and their safety better protected. The region carried out the Welfare Lottery Assisting Dreams of Orphans for Education project, which provided grants of RMB76.62 million, to protect orphans' right to education. There are 11 child welfare institutions in the region. The basic living allowances for orphans and de facto orphans have been improved, providing a maximum of RMB1,982 per person per month.

- Remarkable progress in the protection of the rights of the elderly

The Measures on High-Quality Development of Elderly Care Services, the Implementation Plan for At-Home and Community Elderly Care Services, and the Implementation Plan of the Xizang Autonomous Region on Building the Basic Elderly Care System have all been formulated to improve the system of care for the elderly in Xizang. Eighteen standards for elderly care institutions in Xizang have been compiled to cover nursing service, personnel management, emergency management, and food safety, among others. 

A wide range of old-age services are available. Xizang provides elderly care through the government purchase of services, public-private partnerships, and other means. There are 65 day-care centers providing life care, spiritual support, and cultural entertainment for the elderly. Additionally, there are 80 nursing homes for severely disadvantaged people that provide support for seniors who agree to be cared for in nursing homes. By the end of 2024, 5,836 senior citizens were benefitting from care in nursing homes, and 7,135 were provided with home care. 

Age-friendly renovations continue to be carried out across Xizang. The Implementation Plan for Promoting Age-Friendly Home Renovations for Elderly People with Special Difficulties During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period focuses on providing easy indoor walking, safe bathrooms, convenient kitchen functionality, a better home environment, intelligent safety monitoring, and adaptable assistive appliances for seniors with special difficulties. Based on the plan, Xizang has been renovating residential buildings that meet relevant standards and basic conditions for improvement. By the end of 2024, homes of 2,315 households comprising severely disadvantaged elderly people had undergone age-friendly renovations. Xizang is also exploring the building of smart elderly care platforms. In 2023, the region's first municipal supervision and guidance center for quality elderly-care services was officially opened. This center utilizes a seniors' information database to provide basic services such as physical sign monitoring and emergency assistance, life care, and housekeeping, making elderly care intelligent and more convenient. Educational and training activities on the use of intelligent technology are being carried out to help elderly individuals eliminate the digital divide and improve their daily lives. 

- Better protection of the rights of people with disabilities

Rehabilitation for people with disabilities develops rapidly. Xizang has established an assistance mechanism to provide rehabilitation services for children aged 0-8 with disabilities. Between 2019 and 2024, more than 9,530 children with disabilities aged 0-14 received surgery, rehabilitation, assistive devices and other services. Some 73,000 rehabilitation interventions have been provided to people with disabilities in the region, and assistive devices have been provided on 60,000 occasions. Xizang leads the country with more than 95 percent of its people with disabilities having access to basic rehabilitation services and assistive devices. This contributes to the improvement of the network of rehabilitation services for people with disabilities.

Individuals with disabilities in Xizang are fully covered by social security. All persons with disabilities in the region's urban and rural areas are covered by basic old-age pension and basic medical insurance. The living expenses of persons with disabilities in financial difficulty and the nursing costs of people with severe disabilities are subsidized as they are entitled to. Xizang has spent RMB1.1 billion on this initiative, delivering subsidies for more than 500,000 times to eligible persons in the region. Policy-based guarantees are provided to eligible people with disabilities in financial difficulty, ensuring they receive subsistence allowances, temporary relief, and urban and rural medical assistance as per the policy that all those eligible for subsidies and assistance receive such benefits.

The right to education for persons with disabilities is fully guaranteed. Xizang is continuing to strengthen public-benefit education for individuals with disabilities. Over the past five years, 3,205 students with disabilities have enrolled in regular schools, and home education has been provided for 2,604 disabled students. The enrollment rate of compulsory education has remained above 97 percent throughout this period. By 2024, there were seven special education schools, with a total of 1,035 students, each enjoying an annual allowance of RMB6,000 that covers food, accommodation, basic tuition and other expenses. 

Efforts are ongoing to promote employment and entrepreneurship for persons with disabilities. Xizang has formulated special policies to create employment and self-employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in different fields through various channels, including setting mandated quotas in employment for people with disabilities, facilitating their self-employment, improving the collection, management and use of their employment security funds, providing vocational training, and awarding employers who employ more than their designated quota of such persons. Over the past five years, 7,476 persons with disabilities have received employment and entrepreneurship training. Between 2020 and 2024, persons with disabilities who found employment stood at 354, 424, 521, 720, and 862 respectively, representing an average annual growth rate of over 10 percent. Party and government departments, public institutions, and state-owned enterprises met their quotas by providing jobs for a total of 9,564 individuals with disabilities over the past three years. By 2024, 21,237 registered persons with disabilities were employed in Xizang.

Steady progress is being made in creating an accessible environment. The border counties and districts inhabited by ethnic minority groups in Xizang were the first areas in China to implement the barrier-free renovation project for financially difficult families with members with severe disabilities. This project allocates RMB35,000 per household, and has benefited 954 families to date. A barrier-free tourism strategy has been launched throughout the region, providing quality accessibility services for tourists. In August 2016, the Library of the Xizang Autonomous Region opened its first reading room for the visually impaired.