Helping Hands
	Social Workers of China, Unite!
	By Susan Jakes Beijing

Posted Monday, March 1, 2004; 21:00 HKT
Just outside the main gate of Beijing's Tsinghua University is an unusually visible sign of political change. In large, red characters affixed to the top of the building are the words "Tsinghua University Constitutional Law and Civil Rights Center." Inside, a coterie of lawyers work pro bono for clients who believe their civil rights have been abused by their employers, the police or even the government. Their first case involved a man who died in police custody after being detained for not carrying his ID card. The suit helped lead to the abolition of the category of extra-judicial detention under which the man had been arrested. As Wu Ge, the center's 37-year-old founder proudly points out, this is the only organization "openly practicing human-rights law in China."

Fighting for civil rights is just one of the legal battles groups like Wu's have to face. In an environment where do-gooders are still viewed with suspicion by the Communist Party, the very act of establishing an independent social service or advocacy organization almost requires a degree in administrative law. In 2002, mainland China had more than 200,000 officially registered autonomous organizations, according to the NGO Research Center at Tsinghua—but many are closely affiliated with the government in much the same way for-profit state-owned enterprises are. Indeed, the term many researchers use to describe most inhabitants of China's public sphere is GONGO—an oxymoronic acronym that stands for Government Organized Non-Governmental Organization. But like their for-profit counterparts, the shrinking role of the state is forcing even these groups to become more independent.

To achieve legal status, most NGOs in mainland China must first win approval from a state-run department that works on a related issue. Then the group must apply to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which allows only one organization per issue in each city. Many groups avoid the bureaucracy by registering themselves as businesses, even though this obliges them to pay corporate taxes. As many as 150,000 groups are registered as companies or as research institutes, according to the Tsinghua NGO Research Center. Indeed, even the China Non-Profit Network, an organization that exists to foster the growth of groups like it, had to register as a business when it couldn't find a government sponsor.

Financing is another challenge. Although the mainland enacted a law in 1999 that makes charitable donations tax deductible, the law is so vague it's hard to implement. Consequently, many groups rely on funding from foreign governments or international grant-making foundations. Despite the difficulties, many groups do get things done. Wu Ge's colleagues recently won $1,500 in compensation for a migrant construction worker who injured his back on the job. How did the worker find his lawyers? Wu smiles, "He was walking down the street and saw our sign."

	Nothing Left To Lose [Feb. 25, 2004] Tens of thousands of Chinese flock to Beijing seeking redress for myriad injusticesÑfrom unpaid wages to unpunished crimes to official corruption. Most of these pilgrimages end in frustration or despair Dead Men Tell No Tales [Feb. 4, 2004] A disgraced city official plunges to his death. Did he jump, or was he pushed? Ê Linglei Like Me [Jan. 26, 2004] China's mainstream absorbs the counterculture as advertising caters to the young and restless Unhappy Returns [Dec. 4, 2003] China's public-health system was told to make its way in the free market. Now, the underfunded network can't cope with re-emerging diseases More Related Items | Search all issues of TIME Magazine