Domestic violence is drawing wider attention as more women brave social stigma by speaking out against it. Experts say that the need for more social awareness of the issue is vital in coming to grips with the problem.

More and more Chinese women are braving shame and social stigma by speaking out about the physical and emotional abuse they suffer from husbands or boyfriends.

And because they are seeking help, domestic violence is drawing wider attention.

Experts say the need for more social awareness of this issue is vital in coming to grips with the problem.

Communities, neighborhood committees and hospital workers need to be part of a network of change to help protect victims, and more aggressive action is needed by police and prosecutors, said Wang Xingjuan, director of the Beijing-based Maple Women's Psychological Counseling Center.

Domestic violence includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and more than 90 per cent of victims are women, Wang said yesterday, the Fifth International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The center has been operating two women's hotlines (010-64033383, 64073800) for the past decade and has been studying women's issues.

Through October of this year, the center received 347 reports of domestic violence, with 95.5 percent of them from women.

"Since many people believe that it is better not to wash dirty linen in public, most domestic violence victims choose to keep silent," Wang said.

But one out of three women, according to international statistics, has been beaten, raped or emotionally abused by her partner.

One such woman in her late-50s in rural Beijing spoke to hotline workers saying that she had suffered beatings from her husband for 32 years, and had found no one to speak to. She said she wanted to commit suicide because she saw no way out.

Another 29-year-old rural woman from Hebei Province told the hotline her boyfriend beat her when she became pregnant. She had suffered eight miscarriages as a result. However, she said she is still waiting for the man to marry her because she is afraid no one else will.

Psychologists said much of the damage victims suffer comes not from the assault itself, but from the reactions of others and the aftermath.

"Some wives risk losing their shelter or living support after a divorce or from having their husband go to jail," said Hou Zhiming, a psychologist at the center.

The center also offers counseling for women, helping them resolve family disputes and emotional problems. They can speak about anything they have experienced and the center will help come up with solutions. Women asking for help can speak on the condition of anonymity if they want.

The revised Marriage Law in 2001 outlawed domestic violence and recognized it as one of four grounds for divorce.

(China Daily November 26, 2004)