U.S. suffers historic retrogression in protecting rights of women, children: report

BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The United States suffered a major setback in the protection of the rights of women and children in 2022, said a report released by China's State Council Information Office on Tuesday.

Women have lost constitutional protection for abortion, and children's living environment is worrying, said the report.

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has ended women's right to abortion protected by the U.S. Constitution for nearly 50 years, which lands a huge blow to women's human rights and gender equality, it said.

In 2022, more than 5,800 children under the age of 18 were injured or killed by shooting in the United States, and the number of school shootings amounted to 302, the highest since 1970.

The child poverty rate in the United States increased from 12.1 percent in December 2021 to 16.6 percent in May 2022, with 3.3 million more children living in poverty.

The United States has seen a nearly 70-percent increase in child labor violations since 2018, and registered a 26-percent increase in minors employed in hazardous occupations in the fiscal year 2022, said the report.