Campaigners against domestic violence are celebrating the drafting of China's very first domestic violence law, a move considered by many as a giant leap toward equality and fairness in the country.

Although campaigners have approved and supported the said progress, they say it is not extensive enough to cover all bases and grounds of domestic violence.

Like Us on Facebook

According to the country's state media, 40 percent of Chinese females in relationships suffers from battery, verbal abuse, and beating. The Chinese culture has been stringent in matters like this that in fact, physical abuse was considered as a ground for job termination in year 2001.

Violence at home has long been considered as a private affair between partners in China although the gravity of the matter continues to escalate, says BBC's Beijing correspondence, Martin Patience.

Advocates of the domestic violence law have fought to give the issue a formal meaning. Without a clear definition of domestic violence, victims who gainthe courage to file complaints find it very challenging to obtain justice.

After the parliament's approval of the law, however, supporters are looking forward to getting a more comprehensible definiton of what domestic violence is, including its coverage and its limits.

Under the terms of the decrees covering the law, Chinese officials will be required to quickly respond to reports of domestic abuse. Restraining orders, on the other hand, are to be set in court within 2 days.

"Over the years, we've many times felt powerless ourselves to help victims," says Hou Zhimin, a long-time advocate of women's rights, to AFP.

Hou added that it would mean the whole world for her to witness the law's enactment.

Some supporters and campaigners, though, are wary about the law being focused only on married couples. Advocates of China's first domestic violence law hope unmarried and divorced individuals will not be excluded in the coverage.

Tagsdomestic violence law, china domestic violence law, domestic violence law in china, domestic violence china