Chinese Scholars Call for Legislation to Curb Domestic Violence

Scholars on Sept. 20 called for a new law to reduce domestic violence in order to prevent it from becoming a threat to China's social stability.

An independent domestic violence law is badly needed to protect the rights of victims in China, said Jiang Yue'e, head of the rights and interests department of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), at an ongoing workshop on domestic violence.

"Many victims fail to receive help and protection due to a lack of domestic violence laws," said Jiang.

China has yet to draft an independent law on domestic violence. Only a few of the country's laws, such as the Marriage Law, have addressed the crime.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, is considering such a law but has not offered a precise timetable regarding when the law might be written and enacted.

A 2007 survey indicates that domestic violence is becoming an increasingly prevalent phenomenon. In a survey of 513 female convicts living in an unspecified provincial prison, 46 percent of those surveyed indicated that they had suffered from domestic violence in the past.

The survey also stated that domestic violence has taken place in 30 percent of China's 270 million families; 85 percent of the victims were female.

Source: Xinhua