China law enforces family visits
China's family bonds are being increasingly strained by the rapid pace of development
China has passed a law requiring adult children to visit their elderly parents regularly or risk being sued.
The law does not specify how frequently such visits should occur, but warns that neglect could risk court action.
Reports suggest a growing number of elderly Chinese have been abandoned or neglected by their offspring.
Chinese state media reported earlier this month that a woman in her nineties had been forced by her son to live in a pigsty for two years.
Newspapers are full of such stories, or of tales of children trying to seize their parents' assets.
The rapid pace of development in China has damaged the traditional extended family in China.
Children often leave home to work in the major industrial centres and return infrequently.
That dislocation of families has been exacerbated by China's one child policy and a dramatic advance in life expectancy.
The country has an ageing population with few offspring to look after the older generation.
There are few affordable alternatives, such as retirement or care homes, for the elderly or others unable to live on their own.
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