Special fund set to support poorest minors in lawsuits

First attempt in the country to establish a mechanism involving judicial and social aid

A special fund to support financially strapped minors involved in lawsuits and criminal cases was launched by the Shanghai High People's Court and the Children's Foundation of Shanghai on Wednesday.

It was the first attempt in the country to establish a cohesive mechanism involving judicial aid and social assistance to support disadvantaged children who are involved in civil lawsuits or fall victim to crime.

The court found the issue of assisting minors in severe economic difficulty, such as those who have serious diseases or injuries that require long-term treatment and have high medical bills, or those who cannot obtain compensation owed by the accused, has been prominent in recent years.

A judicial relief system was established in Shanghai in 2008 to support such children, but many are still not covered due to the limited funding.

Three years ago, the court began analyzing the number of cases that involved children in impoverished conditions and estimated the assistance needed, and then cooperated with the Children's Foundation of Shanghai, which will be responsible for collecting funds.

Four families who applied for help from the funds got relief money on Wednesday, including the grandparents of Xiao Yu (not his real name).

The 5-year-old boy, who was diagnosed with hemophilia in infancy and costs the family thousands of yuan for transfusion therapy every month, was hit by a vehicle when he was crossing the road with his grandfather in 2013. The accident left the boy with paraplegia and the family had to pay up to 10,000 yuan for his medical treatment.

The driver was unable to pay compensation. The boy's parents got divorced early this year and his grandmother, who has a meager pension, has to take care of the boy and her spouse, who is also confined in bed with a serious disease.

"This measure to help such children from families with an overwhelming economic burden is an important step to strengthen the judicial protection of minors," said Cui Yadong, president of the Shanghai High People's Court.

However, more government sectors, including civil affairs, education, health, social security and housing, as well as assistance from the communities, must cooperate to help these children in the long run, said Zhu Miao, an official with the juvenile court of the Shanghai High People's Court.

"We need to propel the legislation to have institutional guarantees that such children grow up healthily," she said.

zhouwenting@chinadaily.com.cn