I hit you, because I love you.

It is an unacceptable truth that violence and abuse are all too common in some families.

Domestic violence can take many forms, such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse and stalking. It can make life a misery for anyone as it does not discriminate by gender, age, economic or education status.

The All-China Women's Federation says it has received 40,000 to 50,000 complaints about domestic violence every year since 2004. And its survey last year found that almost one in four women in this country experienced domestic abuse.

But abusers could soon find themselves in jail as the country's legislators are putting a domestic violence law on the legislative agenda of the National People's Congress in 2012.

Any suggestion that family violence should be considered as anything other than a criminal offence is simply wrong.

The idea that violence against family members is somehow less serious than any other violent crime only serves to enable it.

Domestic violence is not something anyone likes to talk about, but that's exactly what we need to address.

Keeping domestic violence "behind closed doors" only serves to protect and shield the guilty while putting victims at greater risk and preventing them from receiving the help and support they need.

To change people's attitude about the criminality of domestic violence, we need to bring it out from behind closed doors. Society needs to acknowledge that abusers are responsible for their actions.

Tremendous efforts are needed to educate the public, and our criminal justice system should be firm with abusers.

Since 2008, local courts of the country have issued restraining orders in handling domestic violence cases, which mandate that the abusers stay away from the victim and refrain from taking certain actions. This should facilitate the introduction of further legislation.

Domestic violence affects not only family members, but also society in general, and, as such, it should and must be dealt with at both family and societal level. It needs to stop, and it needs to stop now.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page8)