Domestic violence highlighted as women's congress concludes

Harrowing cases like that of Jiang Min were at the forefront of delegates' minds at the just-concluded 11th National Women's Congress as they discussed protection against domestic violence.

Jiang, living in east China's Jiangsu Province, recently divorced her husband after a series of beatings at his hands climaxed in two of her ribs being broken.

"Considering my daughter, I kept putting off the divorce, but I just couldn't put up with the abuse any more," she said in tears.

At the congress, which concluded on Thursday, women delegates again urged the country's top legislature to quicken steps toward a dedicated law protecting Chinese women from domestic violence.

The congress also called on joint efforts from governments and the whole of society to eliminate abuse in the home in order to better maintain women's rights and interests.

Women at the conference noted that domestic violence, which can result in severe damage to both women and children, occurs not only in China, but all around the world.

However, as an old Chinese saying posits that "domestic shame should not be made public," domestic violence is usually regarded as "family affairs."

Ma Yinan, a law professor with Peking University, said that fighting domestic violence was first put into legal form in the 2001 amendment to the marriage law, involving measures to prevent and curb family abuse, and it was also added into other relevant laws from 2001 to 2012.

According to the latest survey on women's development by the All-China Women's Federation and the National Bureau of Statistics, 24.7 percent of women have undergone humiliation, been hit, had their personal or financial freedom restricted, or been forced into sex.

Of the women who admitted being a victim of domestic violence, 5.5 percent said that they had been beaten by their spouses, with more than two thirds from rural areas.

Ma said that urban women, who have more access to information, take a positive attitude to maintaining their rights via legal procedures; while women in rural areas usually rely on themselves, relatives and village workers to solve domestic issues.

According to the National Women's Congress, in recent years, China has made progress in fighting domestic violence. The Chinese government has put this concern into its outline for women and children's development, and the country's top legislation is also considering making relevant laws.

Moreover, women's federations in the country's 31 provincial level regions have revised measures for the implementation of the law on the protection of women's rights and interests, and 28 regions have set up local regulation on predicting and preventing domestic violence.

Li Jing, an official with the Beijing municipal women's federation, said that a vicious incident of domestic violence a decade ago made them understand the importance of legal and social help for victims.

Suffering badly from beatings at home and finding nowhere to hide, a woman in the Chinese capital killed herself.

Zhao Jinfang, head of the Beijing municipal women's federation, said every district in the city has now set up shelters to provide free accommodation and psychological services as well as a path to legal aid for women who suffer domestic violence and want a private place.

"However, no one has yet lived in these shelters," Zhao added.

"On one hand, Chinese women still do not want to expose family shame; and on the other hand, vicious cases are decreasing," said Zhao.