WUNRN
http://www.womenofchina.cn/womenofchina/html1/news/leaders/1412/1195-1.htm
CHINA – COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH CONDUCTED TO REVIEW PROPOSED NEW ANTI-VIOLENCE LEGISLATION
Editor: Arnold
Hou – December 10, 2014
The
Legal Affairs Office of the State Council and the All-China
Women's Federation (ACWF) jointly conducted surveys and research in southeast
China's Fujian Province and south China's Guangdong Province from December 1-6,
to solicit opinions about the Law against Domestic Violence (draft) among
the public.
The anti–domestic
violence law, whose draft was announced at a Beijing news event on November 24,
aims to provide comprehensive national legislation on family violence and is
now awaiting final assent from the National People's Congress.
Headed by Hu
Keming, Deputy Director of the Legal Affairs Office of the
State Council, and Tan Lin, member of the
Secretariat of the All-China Women’s Federation, the research team visited
local courts, public security bureaus, communities and comprehensive management
centers in four cities and counties in Guangdong and Fujian. During their
seminars, they spoke with local Party leaders, judges, prosecutors, police
officers, lawyers, women's-federation officials, community staff members and
other members of the community to learn about their experiences and
difficulties in tackling domestic-violence cases and to collect their opinions
and suggestions.
At the seminars,
attendees identified and emphasized the urgent need for anti–domestic violence
legislation and offered their suggestions on the law’s purpose, definition,
scope, and preventative measures as well as on how to better protect children,
the elderly, the disabled, and other vulnerable groups.
Tan Lin said that
it is one of women's federations' major tasks to work together with the
government's legal departments to help ensure the scientific and democratic
precision of the new legislation. She urged women's federations of different
levels to pay close attention to the draft law, hold seminars to discuss the law
with relevant departments and experts, listen to the prevailing public opinion,
and provide their opinions, reflections and suggestions in time.
At a seminar held
in Ningde, a city in China's Fujian Province, Tan said that the opinions and
suggestions put forward by local grassroots workers were valuable and would
contribute to the modification of the draft anti–domestic violence law. She had
helped them to fully recognize the complex nature and long-term
implications of an anti–domestic violence law and urged them to work together
to contribute their part to the legislation process.
Hu Keming said at
the seminar that families provide an important foundation for social harmony
and that the newly drafted anti–domestic violence legislation represents a significant
step in the government’s movement to strengthen legislation in key fields — as
was put forward at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central committee of
the Communist Party of China (CPC). He stressed that issuing the law requires
comprehensive surveys and studies, to stay close to reality and cater to the
best interests of the people. He also said that the government should be active
in settling family disputes to safeguard the rights and interests of vulnerable
groups as well as to contribute to social harmony.