New | China to bolster child protection laws following series of abuse cases

China plans to roll out new laws by the end of this year to increase protection of minors in the wake of a series of child abuse cases last year, a report said.

The Supreme People’s Court, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security and several other related departments are working together to establish a legal mechanism that would deprive abusive or negligent parents of their custody rights in the event of such cases, Xinhua reported on Monday.

The proposed “underage intervention mechanism” aims to close existing legal loopholes in terms of protecting children and strengthening family guardianship, the report said.

The mainland’s current law on protecting the underage from family abuse is largely in principle and does not include implementation details, it added.

While China’s 1991 Child Protection Law, 1987 Civil Law and other relevant bylaws define the deprivation of parental custody, there are no specific provisions on how to implement these laws. It is especially unclear about which department is responsible for caring for children if parental custody is removed, and what precautions should be taken.

In recent years, a series of child abuse cases resulting in severe injuries and in some cases death provoked a public outcry demanding reform. These cases have been described as a wake-up call for the government to create child custody supervision bylaws.