Courts spend 426 million yuan to help minors with cases

More than 10,000 children received legal assistance from Chinese courts between 2020 and 2022 after they or their families had trouble with case handling, an official with China's top court said on Monday. 

During the period, courts nationwide gave minors 426 million yuan ($60.2 million) to dealing with cases involving matters such as injuries caused by traffic accidents or mental problems due to issues at home, according to Kong Ling, head of the Compensation Committee Office with the Supreme People's Court.

"The average amount of the assistance funds given to children was over 40,000 yuan, much higher than that for adults in need of legal aid," she said.

She added that courts across the country also set up quick channels to give priority to distributing relief funds to juveniles in order to fully protect their legitimate rights and interests.

In addition, Chinese courts have jointly worked with local women's federations to offer help to children in other ways, including psychological treatment and school enrollment, she said.

In a case released by the SPC on Monday, for example, a girl in Deyang, Sichuan province, received funds from a local court after her mother was killed. It was determined that the killer, who was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, could not pay 40,000 yuan in compensation to the family.

Considering the girl's father had divorced with the deceased and had difficulty making a living, the Sichuan High People's Court, along with local women's federation and education department, also offered psychological aid for the child and helped contact a primary school to ensure she could study.

The high court has also kept in touch with the girl and provided her with books and daily necessities to encourage her to study hard and live a good life.

Su Ge, deputy head of the office, said on Monday that the SPC will set up an online system with the country's women's federation, disabled persons' federation and civil affairs authorities to exchange information about those in need of legal assistance to give them more assistance.

Moreover, courts nationwide will integrate funds from charities into their assistance funds to ensure people with difficulties in case handling, especially juveniles, can be helped in a timely manner, he added.