Provincial legislatures across China have already implemented legislation against domestic violence in the absence of a national law.
Central China's Hunan Province took the lead by producing a special regulation in March 2000. Since then, 10 provinces have adopted legislation, including Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Northeast China's Liaoning Province and East China's Jiangxi Province.
The provincial legislature of Central China's Hubei Province is reviewing a similar draft.
All of these local regulations stipulate specific measures to combat domestic violence. Liaoning Province's measure requires local police "to rush to the scene within half an hour of receiving a call for help, escort victims out of harms way immediately, and take victims to local refuges."
The standing committee of the provincial people's congress of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province issued a resolution on Friday. It vowed to curb domestic violence through "the joint efforts of the legislature, the government, the judicial department and social organizations."
(China Daily December 3, 2002)
