Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, March 09, 2003
Marital Problems, Domestic Abuse Plague China's Women
Unhappy marriage and domestic violence are the two most prevalent problems plaguing today's Chinese women, according to the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF).
Unhappy marriage and domestic violence are the two most prevalent problems plaguing today's Chinese women, according to the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF).
The ACWF received some 300,000 letters, visits and phone calls seeking assistance during each of the past two years. Half of those complaints were from people suffering from marital and family-related problems.
The organization also witnessed an increase in the number of domestic violence complaints.
According to senior ACWF official Deng Li, domestic violence has become a pervasive social problem in recent years, seriously endangering women's psychological and physical security and health.
Although China amended marital legislation in 2001 to guarantee family and marital rights, it still takes time and effort to enforce the relevant laws and regulations, said Deng.
At present, the police, the women's federations and residents throughout China are working together to set up an effective anti-domestic violence mechanism to better protect women's rights.