The National People's Congress has strengthened legislation to protect the rights and interests of minors, a key endeavor to build the rule of law, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.

The amended Law on the Protection of Minors and the Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, both came into force on June 1 last year, have formed a protection system for the minors with joint efforts of families, schools, society, cyberspace, governments and judicial departments.

The Law on Family Education Promotion, which became effective on Jan 1 this year, serves as a stronger support for building a sound environment of family education. It also marks the incorporation of family education into the rule of law.

In addition to improving legislation, efforts have also been made on multiple fronts to promote law enforcement and publicity, for instance, a campaign in the cultural market to clean up illegal and harmful publications and a campaign to provide a safer cyberspace for juveniles were carried out, and a regulation on sealing criminal documents and records involving minors was issued.

To protect the rights and interests of minors, the legislature will stay committed to the principle of putting children first and continue efforts to improve the laws and regulations in this field.