China sees rise in public interest litigation concerning barrier-free access

Prosecutors across China processed 803 public interest lawsuits concerning barrier-free facilities from 2019 to March this year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Friday.

Besides filing lawsuits, prosecuting agencies also handed over 643 proposals to the administration concerning the improvement of barrier-free access, the SPP said in a statement.

Putting barrier-free access as a priority of their work, prosecuting agencies across the country have launched several pilot projects to address this issue through public interest litigation, the statement said.

The SPP acknowledged the prosecuting agencies of Changchun city in northeast China's Jilin Province for pushing the administration to address the misuse of sidewalk tactile paving for the visually-impaired.

Through the efforts, the SPP hopes not only to improve local administration and legislation on barrier-free access but also contribute to the legislation of national laws in this field, said Hu Weilie, a senior prosecutor with the SPP.