Anti—domestic Violence——Start Now

黃茜嵐

In 2009， a young lady named Dongshanshan died after suffering from long-term domestic violence by her husband. Before her death， she tried to save herself by asking the police for help， while the policemen took no valid action， claiming that it was merely a family dispute. Hardly can people accept the desperate result， but Dongshanshans husband was eventually sentenced to 6 years in jail.

The tragedy occurred to Dongshanshan is not a unique instance. In 2011，a 7-year-old girl Tong Tong， having starved and been abused， eventually had no choice but to jump off the building to escape. She was fortunate enough to survive and be taken care of by the kind-hearted neighbourhood， who indicated that the girl was shockingly bony and frail at that time. When the local care for childrens center tried to accuse the girls step mother and father of perfoming domestic violence， the procuratorate reported that according to the current law， the appearance of innutrition doesnt reach the extend of slight wound， that is， the case could not be defined as domestic violence.

Despite of feeling sorry for the tragedy occurred to Dongshanshan and Tong Tong， it was actually the blindness of institution and law that cast us down. It is no undeniable that victims usually suffer severe damages as a consequence of the abuses， and domestic violence even drags many of them to the abyss of death. According to official data， domestic violence exists in 25% of Chinese families， 30% of which are married women. While dealing with the reported cases of domestic violence， the policemen used to take no valid action， claiming that it was merely a family dispute. Thus， restraining domestic violence has become an urgent matter. Then followed the implementation of the law of anti-domestic violence.

As for the society， what the government must do is to reduce the damage. Laws in our country used to ignore the significance of preventing domestic violence， but this situation is likely to improve with the implementation of the law of anti-domestic violence. Now， victims of domestic violence can apply for personal safety order so that they can receive the protection they need in time. Moreover， special attention should be given to pregnant women， adolescents and the elders， who are in a more passive position. Although domestic violence may not be eliminated thoroughly， but Dongshanshan–like tragedies can be avoided by strict enforcement of the law.

In China， traditional thoughts sometimes block people from defending their human rights. With the society being modernized， more and more people now take the view that the belief that victims should bear their pain in order to keep their family satisfactory is unfair and cruel. In the past， women were easily exposed to domestic violence， but as the feminism activities arose， it has become easier for them to protect themselves and stop such violence. Encouraging progresses as we are making， but we still have a long way covered by sharp stones to go through.endprint