China steps up efforts to improve legal services for disabled people

BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Justice and the China Disabled Persons' Federation have issued a guideline on strengthening efforts concerning legal services for people with disabilities.

A convenient and efficient legal services network for the disabled, covering both urban and rural areas with high quality, should be formed to ensure such people have equal rights and opportunities to enjoy basic public legal services by 2025, said the guideline.

It suggested work to strengthen relevant personnel and expand the content and means required for providing these services to the disabled, while also urging measures to effectively protect the legitimate rights of disabled people and promote the all-around development of related programs for people with disabilities.

Addressing the most urgent needs of people with disabilities, the document listed 11 key tasks required, which include improving the public legal services network for the disabled, making legal aid accessible for more disabled people, organizing activities of support such as provision of non-profit legal services, and reduction or scrapping of fees for legal services for disabled people.