System to let betrothed check domestic violence pasts

An inquiry system for domestic violence prior to marriage registration - the first of its kind in China - will be put into use in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, starting July 1, allowing people to check if their would-be partners have a criminal record related to beating or abusing family members.

Six government departments and organizations in Yiwu issued a document about the system on Monday, stating that information about residents in Yiwu who have been punished for family violence by public security or judicial authorities since 2017 will be open for checks after inquirers' identities are authenticated. The database will be updated in real time.

Zhou Danying - vice-chairwoman of the women's federation in the county-level city, one of the initiators of the rules - told Shanghai-based online news portal ThePaper that the move is expected to help protect people from domestic violence and eventually lead to a decline in family violence.

"Most of the time, people fall into family violence only after they get married. However, the inquiry system will enable people to check if their future spouses had any previous acts of violence before saying 'I do' at weddings," Zhou said.

She noted that to make sure citizens' privacy is well protected, they have made strict rules concerning the availability of information about the system.

"People who submit applications should provide their own personal identity cards, together with personal information about their fiances, and fill in application forms," said Zhou, adding that applicants are accountable for the authenticity of the materials and the confidentiality of the results.

All application materials will be strictly reviewed by the marriage registration office before the application is approved, according to Zhou.

One person is allowed to lodge up to two inquiries a year, according to the document.

Han Jin, a law lecturer at Harbin Engineering University, hailed the system as a positive step in marriage registration.

"It protects a person's right to be informed about the personality of their significant others before tying the knot, and thus protects the inquirer's right to know which path to take for the next step," Han said.

Qin Jirong contributed to this story.