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Zimbabwean lawyers are seeking cooperation with their Chinese counterparts in legislation affairs and law consultation in a bid to build a harmonious society, said a senior woman lawyer on Monday.

"Zimbabwe and China show common interests in many ways in legislation and law enforcement in a bid to build a harmonious society, and we need cooperation with our Chinese counterparts in this regard," Emilia Muchawa, director of Zimbabwe Women Lawyers' Association, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

Muchawa said she hopes she has an opportunity to exchange her ideas on the issues of gender and domestic violence with Chinese experts in All China Women's Federation and Chinese lawyers who have interest in the field.

She said they had made the first draft of the bill for domestic violence prevention and protection of victims six years ago, which is now ready for presentation to parliament following its approval by the cabinet two weeks ago.

Domestic violence has, for a long time, been a crime not clearly defined in the law books and only attracted a fine under common assault, she said.

In detailing the bill, Muchawa said that although women constitute the majority that suffers domestic violence from their spouses, men too are subjected to different forms of abuse from their partners.

The bill also speaks about challenging power in relationships in a very big way, she said. All people in any form of a relationship will benefit from the bill and these include a current, former wife of husband, all children whether born in or out of wedlock, adopted or step children, and people living with the perpetrator of violence, for example, domestic workers.

Muchawa said, "We are very glad to have noticed that China is striving for building a harmonious socialist society, which needs strong supports in legislation and concerted efforts made by people in all walks of life."

"In this regard, we are doing the same with you by making a law to promote domestic harmony," she said.

According to Muchawa, the bill describes about 12 kinds of domestic violence, such as physical violence that includes hitting, kicking and punching and any other manner of physical assault, and sexual abuse including rape, indecent assault, unwanted sexual touching or exposure or any act that degrades another person.

Also included are smashing or actions of destroying property jointly owned by another person, emotional, verbal and psychological abuses and harassment by watching or loitering around a person's home and telephoning or sending messages to a person's home or workplace.

The beauty of the bill is that while in the past it was the victim of violence that was required to make a police report, there is provision for other people to apply for a Protection Order on behalf the victim, she said.

"In the past, women would make a report and withdraw the matter for fear of retribution or feeling that they have lost their self esteem," Muchawa told the reporter.

But under the law, a repeated breach of the protection order results in an offence and liability to imprisonment for up to five years, she added.

According to a research by a local project in 1999, at least one in four women in Zimbabwe subject to some forms of domestic violence but the figure could be higher at the moment, she said.

She believed that the bill, when it becomes law, will bear positive results, as there will be more dialogue during conflict resolution, and it will also create a warm and homely environment for children who also bear the brunt of domestic violence.

(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2006)