Researchers from the China Law Society delivered a proposal for a
Domestic Violence Prevention Law at the International Symposium
Fighting Violence Against Women held in Beijing from November 15 to
16.
Although confrontation between spouses may not always involve
physical conflict, psychological violence can be equally as
scarring, according to a survey report on domestic violence against
women in Zhejiang, Hunan and Gansu provinces.
The report, which conducted 3,543 questionnaires, indicates that
when confrontations occur, 65 percent of husbands ignore their
wives, 20 percent slammed doors or throw things, 28 percent call
their wives' names and 20 percent threaten to beat their wives.
According to descriptions given by wives, 12.1 percent say their
husbands kick them, 9.7 percent say their husbands throw things,
5.8 percent say they are forced to have sex and 1.7 percent are
burnt or scalded with boiling water.
Researchers divided domestic violence into three categories.
Psychological violence occurs most often, physical violence takes
second place and sexual violence accounts for the third category of
domestic violence. However, more than 50 percent interviewees did
not regard psychological abuse, such as limiting a wife's and
daughter's social activities with their friends, refusing to talk
to their wives for a long period, not having sex with their wives
and making fun of their wives' shortcoming and weakness, as
domestic violence. Psychological violence has become a central
focus for the forum.
The forum was held to commemorate the third anniversary of
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women,
with 150 participants from USA, Britain, Canada, Denmark and China.
Issues covering the formation and evolution of domestic violence
were analyzed, legal and administrative intervention was also
discussed, as well as the Domestic Violence Prevention Law, which
aims to define the concept and suggest social support,
administrative measures, legal protection and responsibility.
The suggestion aims to tackle the problem by setting up a new law
to provide effective protection to victims, prevent further
violence and guarantee preventative measures from related
organizations, said Chen Mingxia, a senior research fellow with Law
Study Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The research project on ways to fight domestic violence against
women launched by the China Law Society has attracted volunteers
from public security departments, procuratorial departments,
people's courts, universities, research institutes, women's
federation, and NGOs in 18 provinces, autonomous regions and
municipalities. Fifteen branch projects are under way to assist
with surveys, legal investigations, individual cases, take case
records, media coverage, legal aid, and Internet information
exchanges.
(China.org.cn translated by Li Liangdu, November 27, 2002)