The Shenzhen Volunteers Service Regulation, which clarifies the
rights and responsibilities of the city's volunteers comes into
effect on Friday. It is the first of its kind in the country.
The regulation was passed on March 30 by the Guangdong
provincial legislature to clarify the rights and responsibilities
of volunteers, and to give people or organizations affected in any
way by volunteers' actions some form of redress.
According to the regulation, volunteers are to serve under the
auspices of the Volunteers' Federation. If a volunteer damages
another's interests during his service, the federation will be held
responsible.
It also states that volunteers serve others out of dedication
and love for society and should not be treated as "free labor". The
government should support volunteer activities, and grant more jobs
and education opportunities to volunteers.
Volunteers should not charge for their services. Expenses should
be covered by the government and donations, and the funding process
should be transparent.
Shenzhen is the first city on the mainland to have a volunteers'
federation. When it was set up in 1990, the federation had only 19
registered members, but it now has more than 60,000.
(Shenzhen Daily June 30, 2005)