14 accused of not reporting violations against juveniles

The Supreme People's Procuratorate on Friday announced that since 2020, 14 people in China have been held criminally responsible for failing to fulfill their obligation to report violations against minors that led to serious consequences.

In May 2020, China issued a circular to establish a mandatory reporting system that requires relevant officials and personnel who work closely with children to immediately contact the police whenever they discover or suspect that a minor has been or could be harmed.

Such personnel mainly include those working in community organizations, schools and kindergartens, after-school classes, hospitals and other medical institutions, social work facilities and hotels.

From May 2020 to December 2023, procuratorial agencies nationwide prosecuted 9,282 cases following investigations based on relevant reports. In 2023, the number of sexual abuse cases against minors occurring in hotels declined 30.9 percent year-on-year.

On Friday, the SPP published five typical cases in which the proper use of the reporting system resulted in punishment. In those cases, those committing crimes against minors have been brought to justice thanks to reports from people including a hotel operator, a teacher and a doctor after they discovered minors being harmed during their work.

Ministry pledges to bolster fight against organized crime

The Ministry of Public Security has vowed to further crack down on organized crime in an effort to help create a good business environment and effectively guarantee the country's high-quality development.

According to a news release from a national conference on combating organized crime on July 3, all-out efforts are required to eliminate the problem to ensure social stability and happy, peaceful lives for the people.

Efforts must be intensified to deal a hard blow to mafia-like underworld criminal groups in villages, counties and fields such as construction and home decoration materials, and mineral resources, it said.

Plans call for establishment of low-carbon sewage plants

The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development jointly released a notice on July 3 announcing plans to establish 100 low-carbon sewage treatment plants across the country.

According to the notice, a group of exemplary plants will be selected from the already established ones through a comprehensive evaluation system based on indicators such as water quality, energy conservation, carbon reduction and resource utilization efficiency.

The remaining plants will be newly established, renovated or expanded based on the standards of the exemplary ones.

Meanwhile, efforts will be made to improve supporting pipeline networks to enhance the efficiency of domestic sewage collection and treatment, reduce energy consumption, lower carbon dioxide emissions and promote the recycling and use of energy and resources.

By taking these steps, China aims to build 100 exemplary low-carbon sewage treatment plants by the end of 2025 to enhance energy efficiency and bolster greenhouse gas control in the sewage disposal sector, the notice said.