Huang Xin, a father who battled for a year to get compensation for his son's injuries sustained in a schoolyard brawl, can breathe a little easier now.
Last year, his son Huang, Jingliang, a student at Chunguang Primary School in Chengxi Village of Anhui Province, east China, was knocked to the ground by two boys from the school during a recess and subsequently contracted glaucoma, a chronic eye disease.
Burdened by his son's inability to continue his normal schooling and the boy's growing medical bills, Huang Xin approached the school heads and the parents of the two kids for financial support, but got a chilly reception.
With no money or time to enter a lawsuit, Huang tried his last resort -- the local Judicial Mediation Center (JMC), a new concept for most rural Chinese who used to rely on the Villagers' Intercession Committee (VIC), a self-styled public organization, to iron out civil disputes.
The involvement of the local JMC proved effective as both the school and the two kids' parents ultimately agreed to share the medical fees totaling 4,200 yuan (US$506 dollars) and to claim their due responsibility for the unfortunate incident.
"I didn't expect to solve the case so soon and so satisfactorily," said an appreciative Huang.
Chen Chaoyang, an official from local township government, said the JMC is an emerging force in rural China which can better handle civil disputes than traditional VICs.
"Comparing with VIC staff, who merely make peace through verbal persuasion in line with law, mediation work done by JMCs must follow certain procedures, cite sufficient legislative authorities and keep in line with a number of standards," said Chen.
People working with JMCs are usually legal professionals and those proficient in civil affairs like family planning, land, tax, complaint letters, courts, police and education, Chen added.
"As JMCs are more professional in solving grass-roots complaints, mediation efficiency is greatly enhanced," Chen said.
To date, JMCs have been widely established in all 26 villages and towns within the jurisdiction of Taihu County in Anhui Province and handled a total of 856 disputes last year.
Of the number, some 19 complaints were lodged and seven fights involving gangs with weapons were prevented because of timely mediation.
Sources with the judicial departments of Anhui Province said that 98 percent of the province's villages and towns now have their own JMCs. Nationwide, the proportion is as high as 80 percent.
(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2002)
