Victims trapped in the nightmare of domestic violence are now in a
better position to seek legal protection in some parts of the
country thanks to the introduction of local laws and regulations.
According to sources with the All-China
Women's Federation, 10 provinces, municipalities and autonomous
regions have adopted laws and regulations to curb and ultimately
bring a stop to domestic violence.
Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province, is now seeing
the improvements being brought about as a result of its
introduction of China's first regulation on domestic violence in
1996.
According to a survey from the local women's federation there,
complaint letters from local people reveal that there has been a
decline in domestic violence.
Statistics indicate that among the complaint letters from Hunan
Province to the federation in 1999, 30.7 percent were about family
violence. In 2000, however, the figure declined to 18.5 percent,
and further dropped to 13.3 percent last year.
Lawmakers across the country have drafted local regulations to
protect vulnerable people, most often women, children and the aged,
according to a recent report in the Beijing-based China Women's
News.
The revised marriage law which took effect last year specifies
severe punishment for violators.
The provinces of Sichuan in Southwest China, Liaoning in Northeast
China, Shaanxi and Qinghai in Northwest China, Jiangsu in East
China and the municipalities of Tianjin in North China and
Chongqing in Southwest China have enacted detailed regulations
against domestic violence.
Yet it remains one of the most serious problems facing women and
children in the country. Recent statistics reveal that some 20
percent of Chinese families are still troubled by different forms
of home violence, according to a Xinhua News Agency report.
But it is nonetheless still unusual to find victims turning to the
law to bring an end to violence in their homes.
According to another survey covering the entire country, only 17.8
percent of the victims of family violence turn to legal agencies
for help and only 16.5 percent of those known to practice violence
are punished.
A
Chinese saying is still deeply rooted in the minds of the general
public -- as well as of law enforcement officials -- that it's
difficult for even the best judge to form a judgment on domestic
disputes. This attitude dissuades victims from making their cases
public, and makes law enforcement officials are reluctant to handle
cases of domestic violence.
Experts are calling on the general public to raise their level of
legal awareness and are suggesting that communities and medical
services work together to put a stop to domestic violence by making
it easier for people to get access to psychological and legal
information about domestic violence.
(China
Daily August 9, 2002)