Thirty pupils who would enter the sixth grade after this summer vacation came from all over Taiwan to join the Young Lawyers Camp in Taiwan Hsinchu District Court on July 30th. The one-day camp was held by Hsinchu County Government for the first time. Some of the children joined the camp because their families had suffered injustice, while others rolled in due to their curiosity about lawyers seen in dramas. The camp featured a lecture by a well-known lawyer and a visit to the court and prosecutors office. Besides, representatives from Hsinchu County Station, Ministry of Justice and Hsinchu County Government Civil Service Ethics Department raised the children's awareness about anti-drug and anti-bribery. The camp aimed to give the pupils preliminary introduction of the duties of different judicial officers and the procedure of investigation and trial. Through the specially designed simulation activity, it was expected that the pupils could gain comprehensive knowledge about law.
In the opening ceremony, Hsinchu County Magistrate Chiu Ching-chun and Head Prosecutor of Taiwan Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office Chen Yu-hua helped the pupils put on black lawyer robes. Chief Judge Zhou Yan-ping also gave each participant a book about law as a souvenir.
Magistrate Chiu believed if children can know more about the rule of law from an early age, they will become law-abiding citizens in the future. He encouraged the little lawyers to learn and participate as much as they could. By joining in this camp during the summer vacation, the pupils could learn some common senses about law, which would be helpful to prevent deviant behaviors.
Chief Judge Zhou Yan-ping mentioned that many things in daily life, including taking a bus, shopping in a convenience store, and buying books in a bookstore, are juristic acts. He hoped that the camp could not only allow the pupils to understand some basic knowledge about law in daily life but lead to further development of legal education in Taiwan. He would like to see those young participants influence more people positively by bringing what they learned back to their families and schools.
Director of Hsinchu County Government General Development Department Chen Guan-yi indicated that Lawyer Xu Min-xian was invited to give a lecture about school bullying this time. Director Chen also mentioned that Hsinchu County Government has cooperated with Legal Aid Foundation to provide face-to-face or real-time video consultation service. Besides, the county government has been promoting the mediation service in each township office. These measures aim to help people settle disputes in a more time-saving and money-saving manner. Direct Chen hoped that the little lawyers could bring the information back and share it with their parents and classmates.