China sees first decline in juvenile and minor-related crimes in five years

China's procuratorial authorities reported a decline in the number of both juvenile crime cases and crimes against minors submitted for prosecution in 2025, marking the first decrease in nearly five years, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Monday.

The figures were released in the White Paper on Juvenile Procuratorial Work in 2025, published by the SPP, which coincided with International Children's Day.

According to the white paper, the number of acceptance and review for prosecution of juvenile crime suspects fell 9.8 percent year-on-year. Theft, group fighting, rape, robbery, provocation and disturbance, and fraud accounted for more than 70 percent of juvenile crime cases.

The number of suspects aged 14 to 16 had a 13.4 percent year-on-year drop in 2025, after falling 7.4 percent in 2024.

The SPP also approved the prosecution of 24 minors aged 12 to 14 for serious violent crimes, sending a clear message that young age is not a shield from criminal responsibility.

At the same time, prosecutors continued to emphasize education and correction. In 2025, they decided not to approve the arrest of 28,200 juvenile suspects and not to prosecute 38,100 others. The non-arrest and non-prosecution rates stood at 44.5 percent and 40.6 percent, respectively.

Follow-up education and assistance were provided to help minors return to the right path, and more than 71,000 eligible minors had their criminal records sealed.

The white paper also showed a decline in crimes against minors. Prosecutors approved the arrest of 56,338 suspects in such cases, down 1.4 percent year-on-year, and prosecuted 72,807 people, down 2.2 percent.

A total of 42,873 people were prosecuted for sexual offenses against minors, including rape and child molestation, down 5.5 percent. The number of people prosecuted for crimes against minors under 14 fell by 6 percent to 38,384. Both categories declined for the first time in five years.

The five most common crimes against minors — rape, child molestation, provocation and disturbance, robbery, and forcible molestation or insult — accounted for 63.7 percent of all prosecutions in such cases.

Mandatory reporting also played a growing role. In 2025, 3,852 cases involving crimes against minors came from mandatory reporting clues, accounting for 7.1 percent of the total.

Procuratorial organs urged relevant departments and organizations to hold more than 400 people accountable for failing to fulfill mandatory reporting obligations where serious consequences occurred, the white paper said.

In China, staff working closely with children such as teachers, doctors and hotel operators, must immediately report suspected abuse, violence or other harms against minors to the police or relevant authorities.Those who fail to report will face administrative or even criminal penalties.