China passes its first law against domestic violence

In a landmark decision, China’s Parliament on
Monday adopted the country’s first law
against domestic violence, bringing
traditionally silent abuse victims, including
couples who are in live-in relationship, under
legal protection.The new law, passed by the
Chinese national legislature, prohibits any
form of domestic violence, including
psychological abuse.
“The country prohibits any form of
domestic violence,” reads the new law,
which formally defines domestic violence
and streamlines the process for obtaining
restraining orders – measures long
advocated by anti-domestic abuse
groups, state-run Xinhua news agency
reported.The legislation was approved at
the end of a week-long bimonthly
session of the National People’s
Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.
According to the new bill, victims and those in
immediate danger can file for a personal
protection order that the court must grant or
deny within 72 hours. In urgent cases,
decisions must be made within 24 hours.
Once the order is granted, courts may prohibit
the abuser from harassing, stalking or
contacting the applicant and his or her close
relatives, order the abuser to move out of the
home, or adopt various other measures to
protect the applicant.
If the abuser violate the protection order, they
may be fined up to 1,000 yuan, detained for
up to 15 days or face criminal charges in
serious offences.
Domestic violence is defined as physical,
psychological and other harm inflicted by
family members with beatings, restraint or
forcible limits on physical liberty, recurring
invectives and verbal threats listed as
examples. It enables individuals and
organisations to prevent domestic violence,
and allows legal guardians and close relatives
of abuse victims, in addition to the victims
themselves, to report abuse.
Police will have to step in immediately when
such a report is filed.
The new law also covers cohabitation,
meaning those who are not related but live
together are also included.According to
Communist Party-run All-China Women’s
Federation (ACWF), nearly 25 per cent of
Chinese women have suffered domestic
violence in their marriage.
More than 40,000 complaints of domestic
violence are lodged with the ACWF each year.
Victims resorting to the ACWF for help are
mainly women, children and the elderly, and
88.3 per cent of cases received in 2014
involved abuse by husbands of their
wives.China previously did not have a special
law covering violence in the family.References
to the matter were only made in other laws
and regulations such as the Marriage Law, the
Law on the Protection of Minors and the Law
on the Protection of the Rights and Interests
of Women.

Source: CNN