Xu Juehui, an NPC deputy and deputy general manager of the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal. [Photo/People’s Court Daily]

“When I conducted research at a grassroots court in Shanghai, I learned that from 2014 to 2016 the issue of child-rearing took up around 96 percent of divorce disputes,” said Xu Juehui, an NPC deputy and deputy general manager of the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal.

However, a large number of juveniles cannot stand up for their own rights and interests in family disputes because they lack independent litigation status, according to the deputy.

In 2017, the Shanghai Putuo district people's court, after a lot of discussion, introduced a representative to safeguard minors’ rights in some divorce cases, she said, adding that they represent minors in the legal proceedings as independent litigants.

“In this sense, I propose that the system of introducing a representative for minors' rights and interests should be made statutory as soon as possible,” Xu said.