China to require mandatory reporting of cases involving underage victims

BEIJING -- China will make it mandatory to report infringements on minors' rights and interests in accordance with the law, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced on Monday.

According to the newly revised Law on the Protection of Minors slated to take effect on June 1, designated institutions, such as schools and kindergartens, and individuals will be held accountable for failing to report on such offenses and resulting in serious consequences, said the SPP.

Procuratorial organs will work with competent departments to advance the mandatory reporting mechanism, it added.

Last May, the SPP and departments including the Ministry of Public Security jointly rolled out a set of interim guidelines on establishing a mandatory reporting mechanism for cases involving underage victims.

To ensure the implementation of the mechanism, the SPP will work with related authorities to check whether the mandatory reporting obligation has been met in every single case that has to do with offenses against minors, said Li Feng, a prosecutor with the SPP.

The SPP on Monday published a case related to the failure to report a teacher's sexual offense against students at a primary school in Hunan, in which the responsible schoolmasters were prosecuted for negligence and subject to criminal responsibility.

Procuratorial organs will raise the public awareness of the mandatory reporting mechanism via channels such as mobile phone apps and public education videos, and fully inform designated institutions and individuals of the legal requirements to report abuses against minors in a timely and proactive manner, Li said.