A legal worker sends a guidance booklet on pressing civil lawsuits in Braille to a partially sighted villager in Zibo, Shandong province, in April. ZHANG WEITANG/FOR CHINA DAILY
China is using procuratorial public interest litigation to strengthen barrier-free environment construction to protect the rights of people with disabilities, the elderly and those with accessibility needs, according to the country's latest human rights action plan.
The National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2026-30), released by the State Council Information Office in June, calls for stronger procuratorial public interest litigation in areas including barrier-free environment construction.
Qiu Jinghui, deputy director of the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Public Interest Litigation Procuratorial Department, said the requirement recognizes the progress made during the previous action plan period and sets higher expectations. He added it would enable China to contribute its experience to global human rights governance.
From 2021 to 2025, procuratorates nationwide filed more than 14,000 public interest litigation cases related to barrier-free environment construction. The SPP has included data and cases on such work in its annual work reports for six consecutive years, Qiu said.
The Law on Building Barrier-Free Environments, which took effect in 2023, provides a clear legal basis, with Article 63 stating that when acts violating the law harm public interests, procuratorates may issue procuratorial recommendations or file public interest lawsuits.
Qiu said procuratorial public interest litigation has evolved from correcting problems in public facilities, information access and social services to promoting more integrated accessibility development. Prosecutors are also paying greater attention to public participation, technology-based supervision, prevention and long-term governance.
Accessibility is no longer viewed only as a special service for people with disabilities and the elderly. Under the law, others with barrier-free needs may also enjoy related conveniences. In cases involving transport, medical services, culture, sports and tourism, prosecutors have found that young people carrying heavy loads or recovering from injuries, caregivers, domestic and nursing workers, and emergency responders may all have practical accessibility needs.
Information barriers caused by the "digital divide" also affect groups beyond people with disabilities and the elderly, Qiu said. Barrier-free environment construction is therefore a basic right linked to sharing the benefits of economic and social development across all groups and all stages of life.
In October 2024, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted by consensus a China-led resolution on promoting human rights for all through barrier-free construction, the first UN resolution on the topic. Qiu said China's procuratorial public interest litigation practice demonstrates institutional and rule-of-law strengths in implementing that concept.
Since the barrier-free environment law took effect, prosecutors have handled cases in healthcare, transport and tourism. Under the SPP's guidance, procuratorates in Shanghai and Jiangsu, Guangdong and Hunan provinces have pushed for larger-print and electronic drug instructions, as well as drug traceability codes, to address safety risks caused by tiny print on medicine instructions.
In Fujian province, prosecutors have promoted text, video and message-based emergency call functions across 71 emergency centers, opening barrier-free access to 120 emergency services for more than 160,000 people with hearing or speech disabilities. In the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, a medical accessibility project pushed 648 medical institutions to carry out barrier-free and elderly-friendly renovations. In Sichuan province, prosecutors promoted accessible sightseeing vehicles at Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area.
In 2025, procuratorates handled 4,723 public interest litigation cases involving barrier-free environment construction, according to the SPP. The top procuratorate also issued trial guidelines on handling such cases and carried out a public interest litigation supervision campaign on railway accessibility to better meet the travel needs of people with disabilities, the elderly and other groups.
The SPP, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China Disabled Persons' Federation have released six typical cases on barrier-free and elderly-friendly public interest litigation. Chinese procuratorial practice in this field was also displayed at a thematic exhibition during the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
However, challenges remain. Qiu said rectification after individual cases may rebound without follow-up supervision. More fundamentally, sustainable accessibility requires removing barriers in social attitudes.
During the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), Qiu said procuratorates should further improve the quality of public interest litigation for accessibility. Priorities include improving accessible medical and public services, promoting employment for people with disabilities, narrowing the digital divide, and implementing the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for people with vision disabilities.
Prosecutors will continue to deepen supervision over accessible transport and promote accessibility in electronic products, office software, apps and mini programs, Qiu said. The goal, he added, is to allow everyone to share a better life with dignity.
