On Sept 17, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) jointly released a set of typical cases of procuratorial public interest litigation on the development of a barrier-free and elderly-friendly environment. The release highlighted the major outcomes achieved by procuratorial organs in this area since the implementation of the Law on Building Accessible Environments two years ago.
Since the law came into effect on Sept 1, 2023, procuratorial organs nationwide have focused supervision on key areas including the construction of accessibility facilities, information exchange, and social services. To date, they have handled more than 6,000 public interest litigation cases in barrier-free environment construction, effectively safeguarding the rights and interests of specific groups such as people with disabilities and the elderly.
The six cases released cover facility construction, information exchange, and social services related to the development of a barrier-free environment. They address the pressing needs of people with disabilities and the elderly in the development of a barrier-free and elderly-friendly environment, focusing on various daily life scenarios including transportation, public services, and emergency response.
According to the head of the SPP's Public Interest Litigation Procuratorial Department, procuratorial organs have targeted issues such as the lack of accessibility functions in internet applications, self-service public service terminals, and convenience hotlines. Through public interest litigation, they have urged relevant entities to carry out accessibility and elderly-friendly upgrades and improve the inclusiveness of digital services so that people with disabilities and the elderly can enjoy appropriate convenience and security in the digital era.
The SPP has also leveraged the "Yi Xin Wei Gong" ("Public-Minded Volunteers") online volunteer service platform to engage experts, scholars, as well as people with disabilities and the elderly, as volunteers to assist in case handling, ensuring that public interest litigation in the development of a barrier-free and elderly-friendly environment is conducted in a more precise and standardized manner.
"These cases include both litigation cases and pre-litigation procuratorial recommendations, and involve improvements to accessibility facilities and the development of accessible information exchange. Notably, among them is a pioneering case urging the standardization of accessibility design review for the first time, which is especially valuable for wider application and reference," said the head of the CDPF's Department of Rights Protection.
An official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs stated that the ministry will further strengthen cooperation with procuratorial organs in the development of elderly-friendly environments, and will establish regular mechanisms for joint research, information sharing, and professional support, in order to jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly.
