Women's Federations Offer Free Legal Services to Women amid NCP Outbreak

Women's federations across the country have made great efforts to publicize legal knowledge and offer legal services to women and children during the anti-virus campaign.

In addition to publicizing information about law-based prevention and control of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP), the federations also help improve women and families' legal awareness, support the NCP prevention and control work and solve disputes related to marriage and domestic affairs.

A female lawyers' league in Huai'an, a city in East China's Jiangsu Province, opened a free legal consulting channel for local families on February 4 with the city's legal aid center.

The league, initiated by the city's justice bureau and women's federation, consists of more than 140 female lawyers. It is the first charity organization that mainly promotes legal knowledge to women and children and helps them protect legal rights for free in Jiangsu Province.

Pan Hong, president of the league, called for its members to offer 24-hour free legal consultation services through the hotline "12348" and QQ, a popular instant message software.  

Her proposal gained quick response from female lawyers. Dozens of female lawyers volunteered to be on duty for the free legal consulting channel. Some women lawyers, who have returned to the city and are quarantined at home, also took part in the legal consultation work online.

Pan and Wang Yan, vice-president of the league, helped more than 20 residents solve their problems online on February 4.

The Women's Federation of Hainan Province provides legal services to the public through the hotline "12338," especially to frontline workers, quarantined people as well as the families and friends of the virus-infected people.

The province's federation addresses the public concerns through publishing articles on legal knowledge of the epidemic prevention and control via its official website and WeChat account.

A group of female legal professionals volunteered to develop a knowledge base of epidemic prevention, which will facilitate the hotline services to help local families, children and women, especially pregnant and lying-in women.

With the guidance of Fu Qiongfen, vice-president of the Hainan Lawyers' Association and a National March 8th Red-banner Holder, many Party members in the legal profession established a legal service team for epidemic prevention and control. They have reviewed documents related to epidemic prevention and control, and they have sorted out relevant legal questions and policies. They have also offered free legal consultation services to women in time amid virus outbreak.

A collection of documents has been compiled on the province's regulations and policies relating to the prevention and control of the virus. It involves a wide range of topics, including medical treatment, emergency management, civil affairs, education, finance, human resources and social security.

More than 140 documents have been sorted out in the initial phase, which will offer legal support to governments at different levels and all parties involved in the fight against the NCP. A brochure on the common legal issues relating to the NCP control will be compiled to help people better safeguard their legal rights and interests.
 

(Source: China Women's News/ Translated and edited by Women of China)