In the wake of a series of high profile child abuse scandals around China becoming the question of legislating to protect children has come to prominence. News portal Jiemian.com editorializes that a separate law should be made to protect children.
One public welfare organization, the Protecting Girls Foundation (PGF), which focuses on young women and girls said in a recent report that there were more than 606 victims aged under 14 in 378 cases of sexual abuse reported by Chinese media outlets in 2017. In the majority of cases, the children knew their abusers.
Wang Jinhua, head of the Social Affairs Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told the press that China still lacks a department of children's affairs at all levels – provincial and central – and that provisions to protect children are scattered among other laws.
Furthermore, China’s laws do not define the differences between juveniles and children. Wang Youyin, a legal adviser with the PGF, said the nation's laws use words such as "young children," "minors" and "teenagers" indiscriminately and without clear definitions.
Zhao Chaozeng, head of the Shaanxi Institute of International Trade and Commerce, said a special law for child protection could further elucidate the duties of government and create serious punishments for child abuse. Western laws could provide a guide. And social organizations should be involved since they have a vital role in child protection.