China steps up protection of elderly, disabled in public interest litigation

BEIJING -- China's procuratorial authorities have worked to strengthen the protection of the elderly, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in public interest litigation, the country's top procuratorate said on Monday.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) told a press conference that in the first 11 months of 2024, procuratorial agencies nationwide had handled 3,318 cases concerning the protection of the elderly, people with disabilities, and female, migrant and new types of workers.

Prosecutors have targeted some prominent social problems and key areas that had infringed upon people's interests, such as employment discrimination against women, unlicensed elderly care institutions, and problems regarding employment security funds for the disabled, the SPP stated.

Protection of the rights and interests of vulnerable groups has been a major focus of public interest litigation in China. More than 140,000 public interest litigation cases were handled between January and November last year, according to the SPP.

The SPP added that in the process of handling public interest cases, procuratorial authorities have prioritized problems related to the people's pressing concerns — including ecological protection, drug and food safety, personal information protection and telecommunications fraud.

In the first 11 months of last year, 55,000 cases of ecological and resource protection were settled, while 23,000 cases involving drug and food safety and 4,848 cases concerning personal information protection were handled, according to the SPP.