Top court issues guideline on family education

Chinese courts issued a total of 10,308 "family education orders" last year to urge guardians to fulfill their duties to their children and correct their misconduct, providing stronger protection for juveniles, an official from China's top court said.

Courts across the country also established 837 institutes on their own or with other departments to guide family education in 2022, Duan Nonggen, head of the Supreme People's Court's Research Office, said at a news conference on Tuesday.

He said the orders and institutes are judicial measures to implement the Family Education Promotion Law, which took effect on Jan 1 last year and allows courts to educate parents or guardians of children if improper acts are found in case handling.

As courts' standards and methods of guiding family education are not unified, the top court released a guideline with the All-China Women's Federation on Tuesday to further regulate judicial behavior and make the guidance more effective.

For example, the 24-article guideline highlights divorce cases, clarifying that Chinese courts should educate litigants with children under the age of 18 in such lawsuits. If delinquency or misconduct is found in children's guardians in other disputes, education will also be needed.

Education can be accomplished by various means, such as online classes, psychological counseling or family education orders, and can be provided during mediation, case hearing or after announcement of a ruling.

Courts are required to specify the time, place and frequency of family education in their orders, allowing parents or guardians to apply for a review within five days if they don't agree.

The guideline also stipulates courts nationwide should collaborate with government departments and social organizations to engage in more research on family education to help solve difficulties in this regard.

In addition, courts and women's federations are encouraged to establish venues and work teams to specialize in the guidance of family education, with education provided for free.

Duan said that he hopes the guideline, which will take effect on Thursday, will contribute to protecting children's rights and prevent them from committing crimes by promoting family education.