Ahead of International Women's Day, which fell on March 8, China's Supreme People's Procuratorate issued a notice that urged procuratorial organs to promote implementation of the revised Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women (which took effect on January 1, 2023), and to protect women's rights and interests in a comprehensive way. The revised law was adopted during the 37th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, which convened in October 2022.

The notice stressed the revised law is intended to promote the spirit of Xi Jinping thought on the rule of law, and to promote implementation of key decisions of the CPC (Communist Party of China) Central Committee on strengthening the protection of women's legal rights and interests. The notice also stressed the law showcases China's legislative protection of women, and that the law is an important part of the country’s system for ensuring human rights.

The notice urged procuratorial organs, at all levels across the country, to fully understand the law is of great significance to the promotion of gender equality and women’s all-round development, for giving full play to women's role in building a modern socialist country, in all respects, and for promoting core socialist values.

According to the notice, procuratorial organs, at all levels, should fully enforce relevant provisions of the law, support (and assist) women victims (before and when they) file lawsuits (in people's courts), strengthen supervision over administrative proceedings and enforcement of non-litigation administrative cases, which involve women's legitimate rights and interests, fully perform their duties when handling public-interest-litigation cases, strictly punish criminal acts that violate women's (rights to) life, health, freedom and dignity, and provide judicial assistance to women victims.

When handling cases, more efforts should be made to analyze deep-rooted causes of (illegal and criminal) acts infringing women's rights and interests, to prevent, mediate and defuse such disputes and conflicts.

Procuratorial organs are also urged to take effective measures to ensure the implementation of relevant requirements in the notice, to increase coordination and cooperation with other relevant organs and organizations, and to make concerted efforts to promote implementation of the working mechanism used to protect women's rights and interests.

(Women of China English Monthly April 2023 issue)