Women's groups aim to overcome domestic abuse dilemma

Coordination

Wan Fei, a police officer in Jianli, Hubei province, noticed that many victims of domestic violence find it difficult to get help from the authorities.

In response, he founded Lantianxia in 2015. The nonprofit organization focuses on the protection of women's and children's rights, and, crucially, also coordinates the work of women's federations, the police and courts to provide a support network for victims.

With real-time access to information provided by police, Lantianxia can advise victims on their rights and options and refer them to services and support organizations.

In June 2018, that cooperation helped a victim of domestic violence in Jianli, when a woman who was pushing for a divorce was seen sitting alone on the edge of a roof. She had one leg hanging over the side and was threatening to jump.

A counselor managed to dissuade the woman, and within 30 minutes, police officers had handed her a written warning that had been served against her husband. The document bore a signed confession of violent behavior.

Within two hours, a court had issued a Civil Mediation Document that sanctioned a divorce.

When Wan founded his NGO, some colleagues and friends questioned whether it was necessary to work so hard on what many people regard as minor issues.

"Many police officers don't realize that domestic abuse has a high fatality rate," he said.

According to the All-China Women's Federation, 60 percent of the average 157,000 female suicides per annum are the result of domestic violence. In Jianli, about 29 percent of all murders committed since 2011 were related to spousal abuse.

A lack of training means many police officers hold outdated views and commonly avoid interfering in "family disputes", which shows a disregard for their legal obligations, according to Li and Wan.

In his training courses for officers who deal with domestic abuse, Wan emphasizes that the high death rate prompts many officers to take action, which benefits both the victims and the officer.

That's because a high mortality rate could affect the officer's career prospects, while any suggestion of negligence could see them lose their job and also face punishment.

There is also a specific process to follow. When a call about domestic abuse is received, police take two warning documents to the scene. The form takes no more than five minutes to fill in, and Wan said there are several scenarios in which officers are obliged to take the alleged perpetrator to the police station.

Li, the lawyer, said abusive relationships are about power and control, so they are a gender issue.

According to the women's federation, 90 percent of domestic abuse victims in China are female and on average a case of domestic abuse occurs every 7.4 seconds.

Moreover, the victims are usually blamed. At the very least, they are assumed to be partially responsible as they may have "annoyed" the man or "hurt his pride".

"The attitude is, 'Your husband is wrong to beat you, but you are wrong, too.' Then one side's fault offsets the other," Li said, adding that a patriarchal society will always find excuses to defend male attackers, but the fact is that nothing can excuse such behavior.

She said it is important to adopt a zero-tolerance approach and nip domestic violence in the bud, rather than allowing it to become a vicious spiral of escalating violence until the worst consequence occurs－death.

Wan said, "Police intervention is the best way to curb domestic violence."

As representatives of State power, it would deal a big blow to perpetrators if officers took a firm stand against such abuse.

Written warnings are more effective than verbal criticism because they are formal.

Wan has analyzed all 2,400 cases his organization has handled. He said that contrary to concerns that involving the authorities could aggravate the problem, the rate of recurrence falls to 10 percent after an oral warning and to 1 percent after a written warning.

"The heavier the punishment, the stronger the impact," he said.

According to Li, lenient punishments may also be a factor in abuse. It is not just the fact that the attackers are unable to control themselves, but that the cost of breaking the law is negligible.

Wan said that since Lantianxia began coordinating efforts in 2015, the Jianli authorities have received a growing number of calls from victims, indicating a rise in people's confidence in them.

In Jianli, domestic violence is no longer a costless crime, but a shortage of supervision means police often fail to act.

Dong Shanshan's case attracted widespread attention. However, her husband was charged with assault rather than intentional homicide and was sentenced to just six and a half years in prison.

Many other perpetrators of domestic violence are lightly punished and some cases are just buried, according to Li.

"The family should not become a cover for crime," she said. "The law should give people confidence in justice."