Domestic violence law not enough to change men - Zhang Lijia

+Zhang Lijia

China is getting a law to protect women from domestic violence. An important step forward, although many have been critical about the draft law, writes author Zhang Lijia at her weblog, and it is far from enough to change the attitude of men.

Zhang Lijia:

I understand how important a strengthened law is in fighting against this endemic problem. Research conducted by the All-China Women’s Federation showed that one in four women has experienced domestic violence. Feng ( Yuan, founder of the Anti-Domestic Violence Network, a Beijing-based non-governmental organisation) estimates the number to be one in three. 

The problem will not vanish overnight just because of a new law. There are, in fact, no shortage of laws in China. It is implementation that poses the greatest challenge. Once this law is enacted, it will undoubtedly be easier to file a lawsuit on the grounds of domestic violence. With no legal aid on offer, however, many poor victims may not be able to access the law to gain this protection. 

The new bill demands that each county set up a shelter for domestic violence victims. In the past, hundreds of government-run shelters have been established, but few have served the correct purpose, partly because they required strict criteria, such as employer’s certification. Even with a relaxed criteria, they still need a lot of resources to keep going. I am not sure local governments will be willing to devote the resources needed to support this. 

Yet the biggest challenge of all, to my mind, is for the people in this populous country to truly understand that domestic violence is fundamentally wrong. For centuries, beating one’s wife, whom many men regarded as their own property, has been tolerated. And the roots of the problem – a disparity of power and a male chauvinism ingrained in Chinese culture – will continue to exist.

  Much more at Zhang Lijia´s weblog.

Zhang Lijia is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

Are you interested in more stories by Zhang Lijia? Check out this list of her latest stories.  

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Changing mindset on domestic violence - Zhang Lijia

Zhang Lijia

Author Zhang Lijia researches her upcoming book in prostitution in China, and dives into the conservative mindset on wife-beating. In the South China Morning Post she tells about her meeting with Chen Guihua in Tianjin. She sees some bright spots for the future.

Zhang Lijia:

Chen Guihua, a 48-year-old grandmother, ekes out a living from a massage parlour in Tianjin, offering massage in the front room and sex in the back room. Her life as a "working girl" isn't a bed of roses but it is much better than her previous life - a battered wife living with an explosive husband, an experience she describes as "the 18th layer of hell". 

I met Chen, originally from Liaoning, last year, while researching a book on prostitution. I was reminded of her story by two recent high-profile cases of domestic violence. In one case, Kim Lee, the American wife of the celebrity founder of Crazy English, a popular language-learning programme, won her divorce settlement; in the other, Li Yan, a woman from Sichuan , is facing execution for killing her abusive husband. 

Chen could easily have been another Li Yan. She confessed to me that she thought about killing her husband but could not bring herself to do it...

But Zhang Lijia sees hope, at the end of her opt-in:

However, I do see bright spots, in particular the increase in activism that is highlighting the issue. Recently, I braved the snow to join a dozen or so activists and supporters outside Chaoyang District Court for the final hearing of the Kim Lee case. Among the crowd was the familiar figure of Feng Yuan who has been working tirelessly to save Li Yan, writing petitions to the Supreme People's Court and the All-China Women's Federation. 

Feng co-founded the non-governmental organisation with the idea to change the public's view of domestic violence and advocate for stronger laws. Will the government listen to these ever louder voices?

More in the South China Morning Post.

Zhang Lijia is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.  

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Celebrity divorce points at weak position women - Zhang Lijia

Zhang Lijia

Domestic violence against women is high on the agenda after Kim Lee, the US wife of celebrity Li Yang, won her divorce in a Beijing court. But other women have it way tougher, author Zhang Lijia writes in The Guardian, and strengthening of domestic violence laws is urgently needed.

Zhang Lijia:

The victory [by Kim Lee] served as a morale boost to women's rights advocates who had been dismayed by the fate of Li Yan, a Sichuan woman who was convincted of killing her husband after he had subjected her to months of violent abuse. She is facing the death penalty, with her execution likely to happen in the next few days. Last week, more than 100 lawyers and scholars petitioned to commute her death sentence. 

Yan's unfair treatment made my blood boil. Even though she had repeatedly sought help, turning to the neighbourhood branches of All China Women's Federation, her complaints were brushed aside as "private family matters" – a common reaction in China. When Yan turned to the police with pictures of her injuries and sustained cigarette burns, she was told this was not sufficient, because the pictures had been taken by family or friends. 

Yan might have over-reacted when trying to defend herself as her husband flew into yet another fit of rage, an airgun in his hand. But she absolutely doesn't deserve to die. If the Chinese authorities are half as serious about combating domestic violence as they claim to be, how could they so cruelly punish a woman who was let down by a system supposedly in place to protect her?

More in The Guardian.

Zhang Lijia is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

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