Advisor calls for domestic violence law

BEIJING - A Chinese political adviser on Saturday called for instituting a domestic violence law to protect women, children and senior citizens.

The present laws related to domestic violence are not concrete enough to prevent tragedies from happening. Moreover, the domestic violence law will better promote social harmony and stability, said Zhen Yan, a political adviser and vice chairwoman of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF).

While delivering a speech at the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, Zhen said women, children and senior citizens are the most vulnerable groups in life, so they need the protection of public authorities, which could deter potential abusers.

Domestic violence has become a hot issue in the country as English teacher Li Yang, who gained fame for his "Crazy English" method of language learning in the mid-1990s, became notorious as an abuser last year after his wife posted pictures online showing injuries he allegedly inflicted upon her.

The latest statistics from the Anti-Domestic Violence Network of China Law Society indicate that between 2004 and 2008, women's groups across the country dealt with an average of 40,000 to 50,000 domestic violence complaints each year, and the number has been growing.

"Society is now paying more attention to domestic violence, which has long been neglected," Zhen added.

After working for more than 10 years to get a domestic violence law adopted, the ACWF said at the end of last month that the conditions are right for China to institute the law.

"The domestic law will reflect China's attitude of respecting and safeguarding human rights, and the United Nations stresses that eliminating violence is the government's responsibility," said Zhen.