Beijing handles rising number of divorce suits

More than 60 percent of divorce lawsuits a Beijing local court handled in the past five years were initiated by women, mainly for domestic violence or extramarital affairs by their spouses.

The Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court concluded a total of 4,031 domestic cases in the last five years, and the number was rising year by year, Ma Laike, vice-president of the court, said on Friday.

Most litigants came to the court for divorce or property inheritance, and the divorce requests were mainly raised by women as they claimed to have suffered from domestic violence or discovered their husbands had relationships with others, he said.

"We've attached great importance to solving domestic cases, as they're close to people's lives and interests. The happiness and harmony of families contribute a lot to social stability," he said.

The court cared more about children's feelings and opinions while solving divorce cases, which is also a principle highlighted in the Chinese Civil Code. The court has also invited professional mediators or organizations specializing in women's affairs to help judges mediate such cases.

"What we want is to diversify our ways to end domestic disputes, fully considering feelings of each member of a family," Ma added.

On Friday, the court also issued six typical domestic cases they heard in recent years to tell the public how to solve domestic disputes in lawful ways and provide them with family-related legal knowledge.