China's top court said it will show no mercy to people who have sexually molested children, as public outrage grows over a series of such cases.

The Supreme People's Court will require local courts to spare no effort to protect the rights of minors and severely punish criminals who have violated juveniles' rights by sexually abusing them, the court said in a statement on Wednesday.

The court said it will research the difficulties in protecting the rights of minors and issue guidelines to local courts.