China passes first domestic violence law

BEIJING: China’s largely rubber stamp parliament on Sunday passed the country’s first law against domestic violence, which covers unmarried people who cohabit but does not protect gay couples, a senior lawmaker said.

China previously did not have a special law covering violence in the family, an issue often ignored to avoid bringing shame upon the family in traditional Chinese culture.

The new law prohibits any form of domestic violence, including psychological abuse, and helps streamline the process for obtaining restraining orders.

According to the Communist Party-run All-China Women’s Federation, about one quarter of women have suffered violence in their marriage, though only some 40,000 to 50,000 complaints are registered each year.

Of the cases reported last year, almost 90 percent involved abuse by husbands of their wives.

The new law also covers cohabitation, meaning those who are not related but live together are also included.