Updated law on protection of minors goes into effect Tuesday

Procuratorial authorities will fully fulfill the responsibilities for the protection of minors and prioritize the quality and effectiveness of the protection work, an official from China's highest prosecution agency said on Monday.

Shi Weizhong, head of the ninth division of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said at a news briefing one day before the newly-revised Law on the Protection of Juveniles and the Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency come into force on June 1.

The two laws stipulate that minors' parents shall assume and perform their guardianship duties, and to those who fail to do so, prosecutors will issue a "supervisory guardianship order" that will urge the parents to receive guidance and tackle problems caused by ineffective guardianship, Shi said.

He said prosecutors also will give full play to the functions of criminal, civil, administrative and public interest litigation and continue to deepen the comprehensive judicial protection of minors.

To fully implement the new law, Shi said it is key to maintaining "zero tolerance" towards crimes against minors. The SPP will work with other departments to further prevent and punish sexual assaults against minors and jointly formulate judicial interpretations and regulations for handling such crimes.

The authorities also will promote a grading system according to the severity of bad behaviors, serious bad behaviors and re-offense prevention. For minors who are under the age of criminal responsibility, prosecutors should supervise and urge authorities to send them to specialized schools for rehabilitation.

The SPP has already carried out a special action on the protection of minors across the country, aiming to target the most prominent problems exposed by the public and make sure that minors are protected by family, school, society, the internet, government and justice, he said.

SPP data show that from 2018 to 2020, prosecutors approved the arrest of 127,000 minors and prosecuted 171,000.