Domestic violence in China

Domestic violence in China involves violence or abuse by intimate partners or family members against one another. Intimate partner violence (IPV) by the man is the most common type of domestic violence in China; a 2005 American Journal of Public Health report found that 1 out of 4 Chinese women had experienced physical violence from their partner in the past year.^[1] Although China acknowledged that domestic violence was a problem in the 1930s,^[2] it has only become a visible issue in the past few decades due to economic and social changes in the 1980s.^[3]

Domestic violence is legally defined in Article 2 of the Domestic Violence Law of 2015 as "physical, psychological or other infractions between family members affected through the use of methods such as beatings, restraints, maiming, restrictions on physical liberty as well as recurrent verbal abuse or intimidation."^[4] Although the legal definition is confined to family members, domestic violence can also occur between unmarried, LGBT, and other domestic couples.^[5] Domestic violence is a prevalent issue throughout China, with rural areas being particularly affected. The majority of women enduring domestic violence, accounting for 40% of cases in China, reside in rural regions. Despite the government's ongoing initiatives to eliminate poverty, rural areas continue to grapple with elevated poverty rates, which consequently amplify the risk factors associated with domestic violence.^[6]