China's First Anti–Domestic Violence Law Expected to Pass in 2015

Lü said that in the practice of justice, it is a disadvantage for the victim to assume the burden of proof in such types of cases. In Li Yan's, according to the law currently in effect, domestic violence is not accepted by the court as reasonable grounds for her actions, because Li's husband did not admit her police records.

Because of this shortcoming in not properly accounting for the circumstances of abuse victims, the article on legal responsibility in China's law should be amended to include and account for situations in which victim resort to violence of their own to put and end to the violence they are subjected to. For such circumstances, experts also urge for a lighter penalty — or even no penalty at all.    

Lü also explained that domestic violence is a systematic project, which involves public security, court of justice, medical treatment, education, civil affairs and justice assistance, and that is why the CPPCC members highlighted multi-institutional cooperation as an integral part in combating domestic violence.

Public Action: People's Role in Utilizing the New Law 
Associate Professor Zhang Rongli, from the School of Law and Sociology of China Women's University, said that the Anti–Domestic Violence Law may not be as flawless and practical as expected but nevertheless represents the best work that was possible for China. In addition, a system that makes a mandatory responsibility the reporting of domestic-violence incidents has also been written into the law. Zhang said, "The law should be publicized vigorously and used so as to make full use of each article. The law's deficiencies could be perfected through judicial interpretation."

Associate Professor Zhang Rongli, from the School of Law and Sociology of China Women's University, delivers a speech at the gala. [Women of China/Zhang Jiamin]

(Women of China)