Chinese Dissident Describes Plight of Disabled People in China

Yue Yi (R), a disabled rights activist, and Zhang Shuyun (L), author of 'Death by Default: A Policy of Fatal Neglect in China's State Orphanages.' (Nathan Su/The Epoch Times)

The U.S. Congress recently released an investigative report on the situation of disabled persons in China, stating that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has violated the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

A disabled Chinese human rights activist concurred with the findings of the U.S. congressional report based on his personal experience and criticized the CCP’s inhumane treatment of individuals with disabilities.

The report, titled “Ongoing Challenges Faced by Persons with Disabilities in the People’s Republic of China,” was released on Dec. 3 by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC). It states that the CCP’s treatment of disabled persons in China does not comply with the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and fails to grant disabled persons their rightful autonomy. In addition, corruption among CCP officials further harms the basic rights of disabled people, leading to widespread poverty among this group.

The U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, outlines eight principles for protecting the rights of disabled persons: “(1) Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one’s own choices, and independence of persons; (2) Non-discrimination; (3) Full and effective participation and inclusion in society; (4) Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity; (5) Equality of opportunity; (6) Accessibility; (7) Equality between men and women; and (8) Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities.”

‘Death by Default’

The CECC report points out that China’s disability policies primarily focus on alleviating poverty and providing relief for disabled persons but neglecting their autonomy and dignity. Therefore, the Chinese regime fails to abide by the “human rights model of disability” outlined in the U.N. Convention.

The report noted that Beijing’s official estimate of approximately 85 million disabled persons in China, about 6 percent of the population, is far below the global average of 16 percent estimated by the World Health Organization in 2022. Moreover, approximately 37.8 million disabled persons in China are officially registered, with the low registration rate attributed to insufficient channels for seeking help.

“Successful registration results in the issuance of a disability certificate stating that a person falls into one of seven categories of disability—visual, hearing, speech, physical, intellectual, mental, and multiple disabilities—each divided into four levels of severity (mild, moderate, severe, and most severe),” the report reads.

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Yue Yi, a rights activist who fled China and is now living in Northern California, told The Epoch Times that Beijing’s stringent requirements for obtaining a disability certificate prevent most disabled persons from receiving one. He believes the CCP deliberately reports a lower count of disabled individuals in China compared to the West so it can claim that the communist system is “superior.”

Many disabled persons in China, whether registered or not, are unaware of official disability policies, which offer little explanation or benefits. Mr. Yue said that donations for disabled persons in China are often embezzled or squandered by officials.

Born in 1973 and abandoned as a baby, Mr. Yue grew up in Shanghai Children’s Welfare Institute. He was born with disabilities in his arms and legs, making him unable to walk upright on his right leg. In 1989, when he was 16 years old, the orphanage staff gave him an ID card and told him to remember the date written on it—his birthday. They also said to him that of the 200 abandoned babies taken in by the orphanage that year, he was the only lucky one to survive.

Mr. Yue recalled that as a child, he was abused by the staff many times and was once punished by being locked in a dark room for more than three consecutive days.

When he was 11 years old, a roommate had a high fever and was taken to the morgue by the staff while still alive, wearing only short sleeves and shorts on a winter day. This roommate never came back.

Mr. Yue remembers being harassed and molested by both male and female staff at the orphanage since he was 9 years old. He has seen his peers jump off buildings and drink poison to commit suicide because they could no longer stand the abuse.

His experiences in the Shanghai welfare home were documented by Zhang Shuyun, a renowned Chinese rights activist, in her book “Death by Default: A Policy of Fatal Neglect in China’s State Orphanages,” published in 1996 by New York-based Human Rights Watch.

CCP Hides the Truth

The CECC report highlights the CCP’s totalitarian system and corrupt disability policies, causing ongoing human rights violations and long-term poverty among disabled persons in China.

Ms. Zhang, who worked at the Shanghai Children’s Welfare Institute in the late 1980s, was persecuted by the CCP for exposing the abuses there. She fled China in 1995 with evidence of crimes in the welfare system, which formed the basis of “Death by Default.”

The book reveals a death rate of over 50 percent among orphans, abandoned babies, and disabled children in state-run welfare homes, causing international outrage.

Mr. Yue, a source for the book, lived under surveillance by Chinese security services for 20 years after Ms. Zhang’s departure from the country. He was threatened not to contact Ms. Zhang or provide testimony to international rights organizations and not to speak against Beijing. He continued to face harassment until he left China in 2014.

Mr. Yue told The Epoch Times that disabled persons face discrimination in China, especially in rural areas, where they cannot access medical benefits and authorities neglect them.

According to the CECC report, 79 percent of disabled persons in China live in rural areas, and disabled women face even harsher conditions. Chinese laws lack specific protections for disabled women from domestic violence and human trafficking.

According to Mr. Yue, local government agencies embezzle funds meant for the education and care of disabled persons, depriving them of education and livelihood skills. As a result, many live in society’s lowest strata.

Mr. Yue, who received limited education in the welfare home, now works in the food delivery market in his hometown in California. He said that he feels content and confident in a society that does not discriminate against people with disabilities.