Hotlines will better protect minors' rights and interests

A hotline set up by several government agencies in Beijing to counsel minors and guide them in the event of their rights or interests being violated became operational on Children's Day on Tuesday.

Among the services the hotline will provide minors is psychological counseling. The hotline is aimed at building a bridge between minors, society, the government and its departments, and social resources. On the same day, Shanghai opened a hotline, on a trial basis, to handle complaints, reports and suggestions concerning minors' legitimate rights and interests.

Article 9 of the Law on the Protection of Minors, which came into effect on Tuesday, stipulates that governments at or above the county level should establish a mechanism to plan, coordinate, urge and guide relevant departments to better protect minors as part of their duties. And Article 97 of the law stipulates that the governments at or above the county level should set up a national unified hotline for the protection of minors. These hotlines are expected to promptly accept and refer complaints of infringement of minors' legitimate rights to the higher authorities.

Nongovernmental organizations, enterprises, institutions and social groups are encouraged to help build such platforms, hotlines and sites providing consultation and assistance for the protection of minors.

That Beijing and Shanghai opened hotlines on the same day that the law came into force highlights their seriousness about protecting the rights and interests of minors. The two hotlines are linked to the 12345 hotline, the call-the-police platform and the emergency phone number, thus helping build an integrated juvenile protection system.

With such hotlines in operation, minors and their parents will have direct access to review the official response to their appeals, complaints and reports, and a unified information collection and disposal platform for the protection of minors' rights and interests, promoting systemic, orderly and efficient protection of minors' rights and interests.

The experiences of Beijing and Shanghai can be used by other places to open such hotlines in order to better protect minors across the country. And relevant departments should ensure efficient operation of the newly launched hotlines so that they become an effective "green channel" to safeguard and protect the rights and interests of minors.