China gets new law

On March 1, China got its first anti-domestic violence law, which is a measure long awaited by government agency All China Women's Federation and private activists. According to ACWF, one in four married Chinese women suffers abuse at home. In recent years, some young feminists have also tried to raise public awareness on the issue by performing stunts.

The new law clarifies that "beating, restraint, injury or forcible limits on physical liberty constitute domestic violence," Su Huang, a judge at Beijing's Haidian district court, told China Daily in an earlier interview.

Wang, the artist, says the Domestic Violence Act shows "official acknowledgement" of the seriousness of the problem.

"Changing social views on the issue will also need the support of media," she says.

At a Beijing conference hosted by ACWF in January, delegates spoke of the need to train people at lower levels of government to help implement the law.

In the days ahead, ACWF will likely study data from police, courts and women's rights groups to find out if reporting of such cases has gone up. With more women now aware of their rights and domestic violence no longer in the "private-matter" realm, a rise in reporting can be expected, says an agency source who isn't authorized to talk to media.

Calling the new law "practical," Feng, the veteran feminist, says police can warn the perpetrators, courts can issue injunctions and the violation of criminal laws will attract different punishments. In addition, community committees and employers can shame people against whom complaints are brought. The law extends to cohabitation.

"But it does not mention sexual assault explicitly," she says, adding that there is need for clarity on economic abuse, control and exploitation.

It covers men who face domestic violence as well, although feminists say the numbers are possibly much lower.

So far, there is little data to compare prevalence of domestic violence cases in different provinces and regions of China, Feng says. But available statistics suggest villages are slightly more vulnerable than the cities.

All eyes are now set on the new law's implementation.

"We will have to see how different departments of the government and the judicial department handle such cases to effectively stop domestic violence against women."