China Justice Observer

中司观察

EnglishArabicChinese (Simplified)DutchFrenchGermanHindiItalianJapaneseKoreanPortugueseRussianSpanishSwedishHebrewIndonesianVietnameseThaiTurkishMalay

SPP’s 31st Batch of Guiding Cases Show Support for Vulnerable Groups

Fri, 28 Jan 2022
Categories: China Legal Trends

On 23 Dec. 2021, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate issued the 31st batch of guiding cases, providing support for vulnerable groups in bringing civil lawsuits.

China's Civil Procedure Law, Marriage Law, Anti-domestic Violence Law, and Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests all provide the legal basis for procuratorates to support civil lawsuits brought by certain groups.

According to the relevant laws, where an act has infringed upon the civil rights and interests of a collective organization or an individual, any State organ, public organization, enterprise or institution may support the injured unit or individual to defend their rights.

However, if they still fail to achieve their minimum goals and wish to take it to the court, but are unable to follow through due to their weak litigation capacity or the fear of doing so, the procuratorate can support them to file a lawsuit in court.

In the newly-released five guiding cases, the parties involved are vulnerable groups, including the mentally disabled, the elderly, migrant workers, and women subject to domestic violence.

In supporting vulnerable groups, the procuratorate can provide the following assistance:

  1. offering legal consultation;
  2. assisting in the collection of evidence;
  3. filing supportive documents to the plaintiff’s complaint;
  4. coordinating the legal aid services; and,
  5. reading supportive documents to the plaintiff’s complaint;

From January to September 2021, Chinese procuratorates had received 41,966 supportive civil prosecution cases, up by 87.9% year-on-year; and validated 29,303 of them, up 70.1% year-on-year.

 

 

Cover Photo by Patrick Xu on Unsplash

Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team

Save as PDF

Related laws on China Laws Portal

You might also like

Beyond the Memorandum: Shanghai Court Enforces Singapore Judgment by Confirming “Reciprocal Consensus” Under China’s New Framework

On January 8, 2025, the Shanghai International Commercial Court recognized and enforced a Singapore High Court monetary judgment in Zhao v Ye (2023) Hu 01 Xie Wai Ren No. 28. It marks the first judicial confirmation of “reciprocal consensus” between China and Singapore under the 2022 reciprocity criteria, based on the China-Singapore Memorandum of Guidance (MOG).

SPC Issues New Rules for Government Information Disclosure Cases

In May 2025, China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) issued a new judicial interpretation, replacing its 2011 predecessor to standardize adjudication of government information disclosure cases and safeguard citizens' right to know by clarifying trial standards, defendant identification, burden of proof, and preventive relief.

China's Top Court Releases Minor Protection Cases

China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) released five typical cases to strengthen holistic judicial protection for minors, exemplifying the "best interests of the child" principle through integrated criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings.