A Chinese lawmaker called for legislation against domestic violence to protect the abused women under the umbrella of law at the ongoing annual session of the 10nth National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

Violators did not get well-deserved punishment due to the absence of an explicit definition of domestic violence and specific penalty regulations in the country's current legal system, said Mao Yu'e, an NPC deputy from southern Guangdong Province.

Though some related regulations rule a ban, they do not have citable detailed explanations, Mao, a judge, said at a panel discussion of the NPC's annual session, which opened in Beijing on Sunday.

Such a legislation loophole should be partly blamed for the frequent occurrence of domestic violence in the country.

A survey issued by the All-China Women's Federation in 2004 showed that one third of the country's 270 million married women suffered domestic violence. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of victims in domestic violence cases are women.

Mao said the legislature should refine the current marriage law by adding detailed articles on anti-domestic violence, and, more importantly, draft a special law, or at least special regulations, against the violence.

In another development, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) called for the country's judicial departments to consider the possible syndrome of abused women, who take revenge on their husbands, when meting out penalty on them.

Women under long-term domestic abuse may develop psychological abnormality, which may lead to murder of their husbands, said Cao Suying, a CPPCC National Committee member from North China's Hebei Province.

The annual session of the top political advisory body opened in Beijing two days ahead of the NPC's session.

The chairwoman of the provincial women's federation said the court should take into consideration the fact of their abnormality caused by abuse.

The traditional concept that "a murderer should pay with life" should not be employed without a second thought when meting out punishment on abused women who take revenge, the advisor said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2006)