The 12338 hotline is a nationwide hotline, set up by the All-China Women's Federation, to help women protect their rights and interests. Since the hotline was introduced, in March 2005, women's federations, at all levels across China, have leveraged the hotline to help women address their problems. Shenzhen 12338 Service Center, under Shenzhen Women's Federation, has created new ways to carry out that work.

In February 2024, a young, twenty-something woman, named Shanshan, from Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong Province, called the hotline for help. Why? She had a child, with her husband, Zijun, who was grumpy, often violent with Shanshan, and even cut off her access to their child. Shanshan filed for divorce, and she sought and gained custody of the child. Zijun filed an appeal, and continued to prevent Shanshan from seeing the child. "I haven't seen my child for a long time. They won't let me. Please help me," Shanshan pleaded, desperately, during her call to the hotline.

Employees with Shenzhen 12338 Service Center paid attention to Shanshan's case. They offered psychological counseling, and they encouraged Shanshan to become self-reliant. After Shanshan calmed down, the hotline's workers explained China's Anti-Domestic Violence Law to her, and they explained what she could do to deal with domestic violence.

As Shanshan was facing financial difficulty, Shenzhen Women's Federation asked a legal-aid lawyer to provide free legal services to Shanshan. The lawyer helped Shanshan with her case, and helped Shanshan secure visitation rights to the child. The federation also helped Shanshan find a job, which helped resolve her financial difficulty. In June 2024, Shanshan presented a banner to the service center. It read: "Thank you for your care and legal assistance, your help makes me feel warm."

Shenzhen 12338 Service Center has developed a team to help women protect their rights and interests. The team is composed of officials from Shenzhen Women's Federation, members of the federation's executive committee, employees of the federation, volunteers, legal-aid lawyers, and psychological counselors.

Among its many functions, Shenzhen Women's Federation provides professional legal services to in-need women and/or children. In September 2022, the federation worked with Shenzhen Lawyers Association to establish a team of legal-aid lawyers tasked with protecting women's and children's rights and interests. During 2023, the team provided 227 legal services, for a combined 1,500 hours of service, and helped women and/or children deal with 557 legal cases.

To ensure in-need women and/or children receive meticulous psychological services, the federation transfers phone calls for such services to psychological counselors working in specialized, district-level service stations. In 2024, with assistance from 179 service stations, the federation handled 1,419 phone calls for psychological services, and provided 7,739 counseling and crisis-intervention and/or -evaluation services. In addition, the federation conducted 631 publicity activities. All of the efforts, combined, benefitted 108,800 women and/or children.

Shenzhen Women's Federation, by leveraging its 12338 Service Center, and providing professional legal and psychological services, to women and/or children, has solved the group's pressing problems that concern them the most, protected their rights and interests, and promoted social harmony and stability.

(Source: Women Voice)

Editor: Cui Rui