China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Volunteer tells of challenges in Yining, Xinjiang
“Although I thought I was fully prepared before leaving for Yining in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, when I arrived I found many more difficulties than I could imagine,” said Zhu Rui, an experienced lawyer from Guangdong who volunteered to go to Yining to offer legal aid services.
The living and working conditions in Yining were very poor, she said, and there was a dire shortage of legal resources to handle a rising number of disputes and court cases.
In July last year, Zhu bought an SUV, printer, computer, network card and articles for daily use and drove more than 5,000 kilometers to Yining to serve as a legal aid lawyer for a year.
Zhu, who is in her 40s, said her family tried to persuade her to cut short her stay in Yining, but she thought “now that I am here, I can’t turn back”.
She said people accused of crimes who could not afford a lawyer had previously had to turn to unqualified legal workers, while those whose civil cases were solved without proper legal services later found themselves involved in drawn-out disputes and petitions to higher authorities.
“I went there to defend people who can’t hire lawyers and help them enjoy fairness and justice,” said Zhu, who has since returned to Guangzhou but plans to volunteer as a legal aid lawyer again next year.
From July last year to the end of June, Zhu handled more than 200 legal aid cases, dealing with issues ranging from marriage, family, education and healthcare to workplace injuries and traffic accidents, and won compensation payments for her clients totaling 6 million yuan ($878,600).
“I was busy with my work day and night and had no time to eat and even rushed visits to the washroom, but my work gave me happiness and satisfaction,” Zhu said.
In one typical case, a man was injured at work and left in a vegetative state due to severe brain damage, but his boss tried to evade responsibility for his medical fees and compensation. The man’s wife said she wanted to jump off a government building in protest.
Zhu calmed her down. “Trust me and I will make every effort to help you win the case,” she said.
In the following two weeks, Zhu shuttled back and forth between the court, hospital and other institutions to collect evidence.
In August last year, she succeeded in helping the couple get 1 million yuan in compensation.
“Because of my existence, I bring hope and light to others and enable them to live happily and better,” she said. “What an exciting and great thing that is.”