THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WHEN IT is considered risky to be a good Samaritan.

A survey, jointly organized by Capital University of Economics and Business, Renmin University of China and Central University of Finance and Economics, has found that the root cause of people's reluctance to go to the help of others is a lack of trust between residents.

The survey shows that more than 60 percent of respondents said that a helping hand should be extended to an elderly person in need, but more than 84 percent believed it too risky to offer help, because of the number of helpers who had been blackmailed in the past.

Among those surveyed, only a little more than 8 percent believe there is still strong trust between people, the rest think otherwise.

It is a sad day indeed, when so many people say they don't trust one another.

In the most recent case, two vehicles ran over a 2-year-old girl. Eighteen people passed by without extending a helping hand to the injured child; it was finally a scrap-collector who went to the girl's aid.

Such instances where some passers-by have turned a blind eye to those in need show that people are increasingly reluctant to offer help that in the end might prove costly.

That the parents of the 2-year-old girl have received donations of more than 270,000 yuan ($42,300) in a week to help pay for the little girl's treatment suggests that many are still willing to assist others if there is no risk of being blackmailed.

Apathy and distrust are the last things a harmonious society needs. It is imperative that we find a way to protect good Samaritans from being wronged.

In a well-known case in Nanjing in 2006, an old lady who suffered fractured bones after a fall at a bus stop sued a young man who was the first to offer help. The court of first instance ordered the man to pay her more than 45,000 yuan in compensation despite his insistence that he was not the cause of her fall. The case was settled by agreement during second instance.

In another case in August this year, a driver helped an old lady who fell after climbing over railings, but was later accused by the lady of having struck her. Despite lack of evidence, the verdict of first instance ordered this driver to pay the lady 100,000 yuan in compensation, on the grounds that there was the possibility that the lady fell for fear of being struck by his approaching car. The driver appealed the decision.

Obviously, legal rules need to be clarified and strictly followed to reward those who extend a helping hand to others and punish those who are willing to exploit people's kindness for their own gain.

Only in this way will we be able to live in a harmonious and trusting society.

(China Daily 10/20/2011 page8)