It took four decades and her life savings, but in June Han Meimei at last held the piece of paper she wanted in her hand. After a lifetime of abuse, she was penniless and alone, but free of her violent husband.
“The happiest thing in my life was getting my divorce certificate,” said the 69-year-old from China’s northern Hebei province.
Women’s rights advocates hope future victims will not have to wait so long to live in safety; Chinese authorities recently issued the first draft law on domestic violence.
While it is welcomed as a breakthrough, grave concerns remain about the obvious loopholes in the legislation. It does not cover cohabitees, divorced couples or same-sex relationships. Nor does it address sexual violence.
Women’s groups hope that officials will take heed of the public consultation which has just closed.
“All intimate relationships should be included, be it dating, cohabitation or same-sex relationships. Violence that happens during separation after divorce should also be addressed, because people in those situations are more likely to be victims than those in marriage. We hope to push forward changes and improvements,” said Li Hongtao, professor at China Women’s University.
[For more of this story, written by Tania Branigan, go to http://www.theguardian.com/wor...ws-domestic-violence]
Comments (0)