Reporting domestic violence encouraged as act of 'good Samaritans'

Reporting domestic violence and crimes against minors in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, are acts of good Samaritans, not interference in private family matters, the local women's federation and the Changzhou Foundation for Justice and Courage said on Monday at a news conference.

The declaration aims to encourage people to protect minors and report domestic violence, which in China is often ignored, with the excuse that it's other people's private family business, the women's group said.

It hopes that more people will be made aware that domestic violence is not a private issue but a crime, and that people can step forward confidentially to offer help to the victims.

Information about those who submit reports, as well as information about the victims, will be kept secret, the groups said.

Public security departments in China have mediated more than 8 million family conflicts and prevented more than 6 million acts of domestic violence since the country adopted its Anti-Domestic Violence Law in 2015, officials said at the news conference, which was organized by the Ministry of Public Security.