China’s migrant worker population reached 211 million in 2009 and is on track to achieve 350 million by 2050, reported state media. A report released by the National Population and Family Planning Commission predicted that, barring any change in government policy, the annual increase in migrant workers will fall to three million by 2050, compared to six million now. According to some academics, the Chinese hukou, or residence permit, system has forced migrant workers to become a class unto itself, distinct from rural and urban populations, but without guaranteed access to public services. Migrant workers are currently not entitled to reproductive health and family planning services, social welfare programs and local children’s education resources.
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