武汉大学社会弱者权利保护中心（简称“中心”，下同）成立于1992年。当初，我国著名的人权法专家万鄂湘教授在遍访欧美名校后回到母校，有感于我国社会转型期弱势群体合法权益易受侵害而公益性法律援助机构欠缺和法学院学生极少有法律实践机会的现实，萌发了创建依托高校为社会提供公益服务的民间法律援助机构的大胆设想。在万鄂湘教授的倡议下，将教学、实践和科研融为一体的蓝图得到了武汉大学法学院的鼎力支持，中国著名法学家、武汉大学法学院教授韩德培先生、马克昌先生、何华辉先生等欣然应聘担任“中心”法律顾问，法学院一大批中青年骨干教师也积极响应，1992年5月20日，武汉大学社会弱者权利保护中心正式挂牌成立,成为全国首家民间法律援助机构。2003年1月24日“中心”在湖北省民政厅正式注册，成为湖北省第一家注册的提供法律援助的民办非企业单位。
“中心”设主任一人，办公室主任一人，下设六个部门：妇女权益部、未成年人权益部、残疾人权益部、环境保护部、劳工权益部和行政诉讼部。各部设部长、执行部长，“中心”还聘用专职律师一人。武汉大学法学院的研究生、本科生利用课余时间在“中心”从事志愿法律援助工作。
“中心”自建立之初就将“以最优秀的法律人才为最需要帮助的人依法提供最优质的服务”作为自己的宗旨。十几年来，“中心”始终信守“三最”的承诺，面向全国为社会弱者义务提供法律服务，许许多多自身权益受到侵害而又无法得到法律保护的妇女、未成年人、残疾人、老年人、劳工和“民告官”者在志愿者的帮助下依法讨回了公道，走出了绝望和无助的困境。迄今为止，“中心”已接待咨询60000余人次，回复信件21000余件，电话咨询约36000余次，通过中心的网站提供法律意见1000余次，代理诉讼案件达2700余起。“中心”还多次组织城乡普法和调查活动。
“中心”依托武汉大学法学院而设立的事实，决定了“中心”不单纯是法律援助机构，也是法学教育的实践基地。充分利用高校所具有的专业人才优势、强大的理论队伍和丰富的人力资源，将法律援助这一公益性活动与教学科研紧密结合起来，不仅为法律院校的学生提供了实践的窗口，促进了法学教学方式的改革，成为培养合格法律人才的途径，而且对法律援助作为一门专门的法律社会学学科的建立也是一种有益的探求。
“中心”为了加强理论建设，不断总结法律援助方面的成功经验，更好地指导法律援助实践，在“中心”长期从事援助工作的教授、学者们编写了若干套丛书：“社会弱者权利保护理论与实务丛书”。其中，《社会弱者权利论》、《未成年人保护法律常识》、《欧洲人权法院判例评选》、《法律文书大全》等书已经出版发行；由最高人民法院出版社出版的《百姓法律问答》丛书共10本于2004年全面发行，免费赠送给当事人；《未成年人权益保护读本》共6本也于2004年初由湖北少年儿童出版社出版发行；武汉大学出版社出版的《权利救济理论与实务》（《未成年人权利救济理论与实务》、《行政诉讼权利救济理论与实务》、《刑事被害人权利救济理论与实务》、《妇女权利救济理论与实务》、《外来劳工（农民工）权益救济理论与实务》）丛书也已陆续出版发行。
作为全国首家社会弱者权利保护机构，“中心”成立以来一直倍受媒体关注，在国内外获得了很高的声誉，全国各大新闻机构都竞相报道中心的事迹，日本NHK电视台和美国《华盛顿邮报》的记者也先后来“中心”进行采访报道。社会各界对“中心”的工作及取得的成绩给予了充分的肯定与鼓励，各种社会荣誉也接踵而来，先后被国务院、中宣部、团中央和湖北省团委授予“全国扶贫助残先进集体”、“全国首届青年志愿服务杰出集体”和“湖北省青年志愿者活动示范点”等光荣称号，2004年被司法部评为“第二届全国法律援助先进集体”。2005年“中心”被湖北省委宣传部、湖北省民政厅评为“第一届湖北慈善公益之星”。美、法、德、加、日、英等国的教授学者纷纷来中心开展各种形式的交流和访问活动。
屈指算来，武汉大学社会弱者权利保护中心已经走了15个年头，取得了辉煌的成就，在中国国家法律援助制度的建立、志愿者精神的倡导、诊所法律教育的引进等方面，“中心”都起到推动和带头作用，具有不容忽视的历史地位。
但是“中心”的志愿者们并没有止步不前，2006年到2011年的五年间，“中心”全体人员调整了战略规划。自此，中心在继续开展法律援助的基础上，更多地关注公益法研究、公益诉讼的开展，并在学生中积极开展公益法的宣传与倡导工作。在这样的战略规划之下，“中心”办理了全国首例“诉铁路公安机关非法查验身份证案”、“诉麻城市交通局政府信息公开案”、“诉湖北省物价局违法批准涨价案”，成功地发挥了自己在公益法、公益诉讼领域的作用。“中心”对这些案件的成功代理，对于行政机关严格依法行政具有极其重要的警示作用，而对于倡导公民依法维护自身合法权益则有重要的示范效应，也充分说明“中心”在公益诉讼方面尚有巨大潜力。“中心”将进一步努力，继续担当在公益法与公益诉讼领域的排头兵！
Brief Introduction of CPRDC
CPRDC of Wuhan University was founded in 1992. The founder professor Wan E`xiang, Chinese famous human rights expert, conceived the notion of establishing the first non-profit public legal service organization of China leaded by a university after his return from European and American universities and that originated from the facts that the Chinese disadvantages’ legal rights are easy to be infringed during China reforming period, lack of non-profit legal aid organization and few practice opportunities for law students. Advocated by professor Wan E`xiang, the plan to integrate education, law practice and research into the Center was fully supported by professor Ma Junju, the former dean of Wuhan University law school. Meanwhile, Chinese famous jurist professor passed Han Depei, Ma Kechang and He Huahui were enthusiastic to be the consultants, a group of young teacher as well. Since its formal foundation on May 20th 1992, every leader of law school has given their full support to the development of CPRDC. On January 24th 2003, the Center was officially registered in Hubei Civil Bureau as the first registered NGO for legal aid in Hubei Province.
CPRDC has a dean and an office dean. According to their affairs, the Center includes 6 departments: women rights department, minor rights department, disables rights department, labor rights department, administrative litigation department and environment protection department. Each department is equipped with a department leader, an executive leader and full-time lawyers. The postgraduates and undergraduates work voluntarily in the Center in their spare time.
The Center set its motto since its foundation, that is, the most excellent law intellectuals provide the most helpful service to the most needed people. Our Center kept the “three-most” commitment over 10 years to provide legal services to the social disadvantages who were desperate and helpless when their rights were infringed and have no way to get legal aid. So far, CPRDC provides consulting advices to more than 60000 people, replies letters more than 21000, deals with telephone consults more than 36000 times, consults via Internet more than 1000 times and be trusted 2700 cases. Moreover, the Center has organized several law service activities in communities and several social surveys.
Backed by Wuhan University law school shows, our Center is not only a legal aid organization, but also a legal education base. The way to combine the non-profit services with education with the full use of specialized talents, powerful theoretical support and abundant human resources is a window for students to practice law, a method to innovate teaching manners and a useful study on legal aid as a special branch of legal social science.
In order to consolidate the theory and gather the successful experience for better practice, the professors and scholars working in the center write a serial of books Theory and Practice in Social Disadvantages Right Protection. In which, Social Disadvantages’ Rights, Elementary Knowledge of Minor Rights Legal Protection, Selection of Cases from European Human Rights Court and Legal Writing were published; a serial of 10 books Folk’s Legal Questions and Answers was published by the Supreme People’s Court Press in year 2004; a serial of 6 books Minor Rights Protection was also published by Hubei Youth Press in the same year; and there are following books scheduled to publish: The Theory and Practice of Rights Relief, The Theory and Practice of Minor Rights Relief, The Theory and Practice of Administrative Litigate Rights Relief, The Theory and Practice of Criminal Victims’ Rights Relief, The Theory and Practice of Women’s Rights Relief, The theory and practice or Labor Rights Relief.
As the first social disadvantages’ rights protection organization of China, CPRDC is focused by news agencies since its foundation, for example Japanese NHK TV and the journalists from The Washington Post both reported our Center. People all over the country also confirm the Center’s job and achievements. We have been credited as “the Advance Unit in Helping the Poor and Disables of China”, “the Excellent Unit of Youth Voluntary Services of China”, “the Model of Youth Volunteers”, “the Advance Unit in legal aid” and “the star of public welfare of Hubei” separately by the State Council, the Central Promotion Department, Hubei Young Pioneer Committee, the Ministry of Justice P.R.C., Hubei Media and Communications Department and Civil Affairs of Hubei. In addition, a lot of professors and scholars from America, France, Germany, Canada, Japan and Britain have visited the Center and exchanged experiences.
Since it was established in 1992, CPRDC has made glorious achievements. During this period, the Center has played a leading role and its position can not to be ignored in many fields, such as the establishment of the national legal aid system, the promotion of volunteers spirit and the introduction of the clinical legal education.
CPRDC has fulfilled a five-year strategic plan and adjusted the focus of its work between 2006 and 2011. Since than, we payed more attention to public welfare and public interest litigation research and actively publicize public law to students in law school. During these years, the Center handled the first case of challenging the railway public security organs illegal inspection of ID cards, compelled the transport bureau in Ma Cheng city to publish relevant government information, challenged the Hubei Province Price Bureau’s illegal price increases, we uncovered the administrative authority’s unlawful conduct and brought about appropriate reforms, playing its own role in the public welfare and public interest litigation. These successful cases have been making a significant impact on society that they not only give a crucial warming to the administration of the executive authorities in strictly enforcing the law, but also advocate citizens to protect their legal rights and interests. All these facts fully displays that CPRDC has great potential in the public interest litigation. In the future, our Center will make further efforts to continue playing a vanguard role in the field of public law and public interest litigation.
Prof. Lin Lihong
The Center For Protection On the Rights of Disadvantaged Citizens of Wuhan University