Domestic violence in China

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Domestic violence in China involves violence or abuse by intimate partners or family members against one another. Intimate partner violence (IPV) by the man is the most common type of domestic violence: a 2005 American Journal of Public Health report found that 1 out of 5 Chinese women had experienced physical violence from their partner in the past year.[1] Although China acknowledged that domestic violence was a problem in the 1930s,[2] it has only become a visible issue in the past few decades due to economic and social changes in the 1980s. [3]

Background

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Traditionally, Chinese families followed a hierarchical structure in which the husband had authority over most household decisions. As the household was the man's domain, any violence he committed against his wife was generally seen as his family's private matter and subsequently disregarded.[4] In the 1980s, a mixture of factors including China's increasing international presence, improved academic and employment opportunities for women, and a more open political climate led to strengthened efforts to address domestic violence and, in particular, violence against women.[5]

Demographics

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While violence against women is the most common manifestation of domestic violence, it is not the only form. Domestic violence remains an issue for people regardless of their age or gender.

Children

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Domestic violence with respect to children is a largely ignored issue in China due to the nebulous distinction between discipline and child abuse. Although a much stronger sentiment prior to the 1980s, the saying "beating is caring and scolding is intimacy" still holds traction for some families.[4] A 2001 survey by the China Law Society found that 71.9% of the 3543 people surveyed had been beaten by their parents when they were children.[6]

Gender Differences

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A 2004 International Family Planning Perspectives survey found that, including mutual violence, 34% of respondents had experienced male-on-female violence and 18% had experienced female-on-male violence.[7]

Regional Differences

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Original Wikipedia Article

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Domestic violence in China is a problem as in many parts of Asia.[8]

Social dynamics

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China has a high rate of domestic violence.[9] In 2004, the All-China Women’s Federation compiled survey results to show that thirty percent of the women in China experienced domestic violence within their homes.[10]

The true extent of domestic violence is unclear due to the lack of related law and execution of the law. The Chinese government is considering taking legal proceeding to prosecute men who abuse women.[11][12][13] The government is in the process of "planning" to pass a "draft of anti-domestic violence law".[14]

The China's society is severely patriarchal, and public discrimination based upon gender is common. This is part due to the incompleteness and chaos of the Chinese legal system as a whole.[15][16][17]

Male victims

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The US State Department reported in 2007 that there had been a significant increase in the prevalence of domestic violence in the People's Republic of China involving Chinese women committing violence against Chinese men.[18]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Xu, Xiao; Zhu, Fengchuan; O’Campo, Patricia; Koenig, Michael A.; Mock, Victoria; Campbell, Jacquelyn (January 2005). “Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence in China”. American Journal of Public Health 95 (1): 78-85. doi: 10.2105.
  2. ^ Milwertz, Cecilia (June 2003). “Activism Against Domestic Violence in the People’s Republic of China”. Violence Against Women 9 (6): 630-654. doi: 10.1177.
  3. ^ Tang, Catherine So-Kum; Lai, Beatrice Pui-Yee (February 2008). “A Review of Empirical Literature on the Prevalence and Risk Markers of Male-on-Female Intimate Partner Violence in Contemporary China, 1987–2006”. Aggression and Violent Behavior 13 (1): 10-28, ISSN 1359-1789, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2007.06.001.
  4. ^ a b Xu et al. 2005, p. 78
  5. ^ Tang et al. 2008, p. 12
  6. ^ Qiao, D.P.; Chan, Y.C. (January 2005). “Child Abuse in China: a Yet-to-Be-Acknowledged ‘Social Problem’ in the Chinese Mainland”. Child & Family Social Work 10 (1): 21-27. doi: 10.1111
  7. ^ Parish, William L. et al. (2004). “Intimate Partner Violence in China: National Prevalence, Risk Factors and Associated Health Problems”. International Family Planning Perspectives 30 (4): 174–181.
  8. ^ "China's domestic violence problem". Salon. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  9. ^ "Draft of anti-domestic violence is pushed to Chinese People's council":".
  10. ^ McCue, Margi Laird (2008). Domestic violence: a reference handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. pp. 100–102.
  11. ^ "A LANDMARK DOMESTIC-VIOLENCE CASE IN CHINA". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  12. ^ "Can an American Woman Stop Domestic Violence in China?". Salon. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  13. ^ "Push for domestic violence laws in China". CCTV. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  14. ^ "Draft of anti-domestic violence is pushed to Chinese People's council":".
  15. ^ "Domestic violence by men 'shocking': survey". China Daily. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  16. ^ "Domestic abuse is a private matter in China". DW. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  17. ^ "In China, a Conversation About Domestic Abuse Begins". Newsweek. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  18. ^ U.S. Department of State. “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2006: China, (2007)”. http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78771.htm (accessed on February 16, 2012).[1]

Category:Women's rights in China Category:Crime in China China