BEIJING - A court in South China's Guangdong province has issued an order to protect a woman against domestic abuse for the first time, Guangzhou Daily reported on Thursday.

The People's Court in Xiangzhou, a district of Zhuhai city forbid Chen Yuan's husband from coming within 100 meters of her and her parents' home, the report said. The order also forbids the husband from harassing, frightening, hitting or following Chen, her relatives and friends. If he violates the order, the court will also detain or impose a fine on him, the report said.

Chen's husband has abused her since they were married and injured her many times, according to the paper. Chen applied for court protection on Feb 3.

In the pilot program, courts in 10 provinces have issued about 200 protection orders at the request of victims of domestic violence since 2008, according to Chen Min, a researcher with the China Institute of Applied Jurisprudence under the Supreme People's Court of China.

In 2010, the All-China Women's Federation and its branches nationwide received 52,000 petitions from women who suffered from domestic violence.