China's fight against domestic violence shows positive results

More than 1,500 personal safety protection orders against domestic violence have been issued by Chinese courts since 2016, according to a report being mulled by China's top legislature.

The report on fighting domestic violence was submitted to be reviewed at an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislative body, on Monday.

Data released in the report showed that the number of personal safety protection orders issued by courts nationwide increased from 52 percent in 2016 to 77.6 percent in 2022.

The figures have indicated that such orders are useful and have been more widely applied in the anti-domestic violence fight nationwide, the report said, adding that it has also meant that victims' awareness and ability to use the orders to protect themselves have also increased.

The NPC Standing Committee adopted China's Anti-Domestic Violence Law in December 2015, and it took effect in March 2016.

Since then, the fight against domestic violence has become a priority for many government agencies and been written into their women and children development plans, with issuance of multiple regulations, guidelines and policies in this regard, said Huang Xiaowei, an official from the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council.

While explaining the report to lawmakers, she noted that prosecutors have also played their role in the fight, revealing that more than 18,000 people have been prosecuted for domestic violence since 2017.

More services, such as those on temporary shelters, psychological consultation and mediation for family disputes, have been provided by civil affairs agencies for victims of domestic violence over the past few years, she said.

In addition, more than 4,700 stations for offering legal assistance have been set up across the country, with handling of over 8,900 cases involving abandonment, abuse and domestic cases in 2022, she added.