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)