Politics

The Law of the DPRK on Preferential Treatment of Families with Many Children was adopted at the 37th Plenary Meeting of the 14th Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly in mid-August.

The law, consisting of five chapters and 37 articles, reflects the policies of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government that socially put forward and give preferential treatment to the families with many children.

The law is aimed at giving preferential treatment to families with three or more children including those that gave birth to or adopted three or more children.

It is the first time that such a law was adopted in the DPRK, but the state specified a long time ago the principle of preferential treatment of the women, who gave birth to and brought up many children, and their children in the articles of different laws and has thoroughly embodied it.

Article 50 of the Law of the DPRK on the Protection of Women’s Rights stipulates that the state takes such special measures as to assign doctors in charge for the women, who gave birth to and have raised triplets or more, and their children and to supply them free of charge with excellent houses, medicines, foodstuffs and household articles.

As he personally wrote such people-oriented laws as the Law on the Nursing and Upbringing of Children, the Socialist Labour Law and the Law on Public Health, President Kim Il Sung clearly defined the contents of preferential treatment of prolific mothers and their children in each of the laws.

Chairman Kim Jong Il saw to it that the “Mother Hero” system was established for the first time in the history of the country and repeatedly took benevolent measures for women with many children.

Party and government policies for the families with many children have been on a steady increase under the loving care of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

Thanks to the affection of him, who regards and values it as an expression of patriotism for women to give birth to and raise many children, those who brought forth and up many children were awarded the title of Labour Hero, state commendations and the Communist Mother Honour Prize on different occasions including the fourth and fifth national conferences of mothers.

Article 44 of the Law on Childcare which was adopted in 2022 in reflection of the Party’s childcare policy stipulates that relevant institutions, enterprises and organizations shall accord preferential treatment especially to the women employees with three or more children. And according to state measures, the working hours of women rearing over two children under eight years of age were reduced and the period of their regular vacation doubled.

Houses are allocated preferentially to the families with many children.

In the recent several years, such families were allotted before others new houses on newly-built streets in Pyongyang and in newly-built rural villages across the country. And the certificate of family with many children was issued for such families to enable them to enjoy special benefits at hospitals and sports, cultural and leisure centres.

The Law on Preferential Treatment of Families with Many Children legalized all these measures and policies.

The adoption of the law has evoked a great response from the people.

Kim Chol Ok in Sijung County, who gave birth to her sixth child at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital last year, said:

“My family had always been accorded preferential treatment for the reason that we have many children. I felt still more grateful at the news that the law was enacted for the families with many children. There is no such a nice system and benevolent care anywhere else in the world. I’ll work harder to raise all my children to be reliable pillars of the country in order to repay such loving care.”