Because of regional population quotas, local officials have an incentive to keep the birth rate down. Chinese women have reported being forced to abort a pregnancy or to be sterilized. Men have told of being severely beaten and having to send their wives into hiding to deliver children. A Chinese national must obtain permission to be married as well as to have a child. Although the PRC government says that ethnic minorities are exempt from the one-child policy, some minorities, such as the Uighurs, allege that they have been brutally forced to comply.
Some exemptions exist for men who remarry.
In addition, if a first child is handicapped, it may be possible to get permission for a second child, especially if the handicapped child is a girl. In other areas, particularly the more rural regions, payment of a bribe may be sufficient to obtain permission for multiple children. Without permission, a second child cannot be registered and, therefore, does not legally exist. In some areas, particularly cities, the one-child policy is often promoted through incentives, such as extra salary or larger houses for couples who pledge to have just one child. Failure to abide by the policy may result in job loss or demotion.