Chongqing- "I would like to be a prosecutor who can be trusted by teenagers and protect them growing under the sun," said Mei Mei, a delegate to the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, fifth department director of People's Procuratorate of Chongqing's Dadukou District.
Mei Mei gives a lecture to students at Chongqing No.37 Secondary School on September 20, 2022. (Xinhua/ Huang Wei)
Juvenile crime is on the decline. Among China's minor crimes from 2017 to 2021, five major crimes, including theft, affray, and rape, accounted for more than two-thirds of the total, while school bullying and violent crimes continued to decline, according to the White Paper on Juvenile Prosecution Work (2021) issued by the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China.
The white paper revealed that the protection of minors still faces a challenging and complex situation. The problem of family guardianship is prominent, and the protection of minors still has a long way to go.
In 2003, Mei entered the People's Procuratorate of Chongqing's Dadukou District, and a court hearing touched her. "I didn't know it was a crime. If I knew, I certainly wouldn't have done it," said a minor suspected of a robbery.
Mei said we should do more for minors based on justice in handling cases. The youth need careful guidance and cultivation, so they need to do more to prevent children from committing crimes.
To this end, since 2004, Mei and her colleagues founded the "Sister Sha" Youth Rights Guard Office and explored the comprehensive judicial protection mechanism for minors. They also set up a hotline and mailbox to hear from minors.
The office became a harbor for minors, and some minors started to write letters to Mei. Mei answers every letter carefully, and she treats them as treasures. "From the letters, we can see the growth and transformation of a minor," said Mei.
With the deepening of the work, Mei realized that except for targeting juvenile suspects, the work of "Sister Sha" could extend to the care for victims of minors and the children of ordinary criminal suspects.
Mei still remembers that a 10-year-old girl named Li came to "Sister Sha" asking for help. Li was infringed on by criminals and became mild autistic. With help from a psychological expert, Mei gave Li a reassuring hug and took care of her during each therapy. After the last treatment, Li took the initiative to embrace Mei.
Mei has devoted herself to helping minors and creating "Sister Sha," a caring brand for minors.
So far, the "Sister Sha" office has 416 prosecutors and 1,678 volunteers from all walks of life who have joined the comprehensive judicial protection team for minors.