China has passed a new law which says that families should visit their elderly relatives regularly.
The AFP reported that the law was approved by China's National People's Congress and is part of a series of amendments which are geared towards the elderly. It's called the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly and will come into affect on July 1, 2013.
"Family members who live separately from the elderly should visit them often," the law says, reported The AFP. "Employers should guarantee the right to home leave in accordance with relevant regulations".
There are no penalties specified in the law but it does say that if the rights of the elderly are violated that they can file a lawsuit or seek help from an official.
"The wide-ranging law includes clauses covering intra-family conflicts regarding support obligations, housing and assets. It stipulates punishments for people who abuse the elderly, fail to support them and interfere in their freedom to marry," reported the AFP.
The BBC reported that reports suggest that more and more elderly are being abandoned or neglected by their children. The BBC reported that a woman in her nineties was foced to live in a pigsty by her son, for two years.
In China there are almost 167 million people who are over the age of 60 and more than one million over the age of 80.
Xinhua news agency said that the law was created "amid government efforts to find comprehensive solutions to issues facing the elderly population as the number of Chinese senior citizens has grown rapidly in recent years."
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