Diocese to Offer Migrant Workers Legal Aid

Domestic migrant workers in northern China can soon get free legal aid and advice on their rights from a help center run by Tianjin diocese. The venue is scheduled to open in September and an awareness campaign is being conducted in parishes to inform workers about the center’s operations.

Tainjin diocese will start a help center
for migrants in September

“Migrants face many different kinds of problems, from settling into a new environment to economic difficulties”, said center Director Father John Baptist Chai Wei. “They also lack knowledge of government policies and law. “What we can do is let people know their rights and tell them where to go if they have a problem that needs taking further.” The center, whose premises and equipment are supplied by the Catholic Church, is located in the city’s Nankai district. It is supported by the Law School of Nankai University, the Tianjin Volunteers’ Association and other NGOs.

Volunteers from the law school will field inquiries two days a week and select cases to be referred to a professional team of lawyers. “This is a service that is really needed, yet not many dioceses offer it,” said Father Chai. There are 35 regional and diocesan social service centers and 230 million migrant workers in China, according to recent statistics. - UCAN News