TWO centers in Shenzhen that were set up to shelter victims of domestic violence receive only three to four people in a year on average. Improvements of policies to protect victims of domestic violence are urgently needed.

The Shenzhen Municipal Women’s Federation said recently that the city had already finished conducting a report on legislation of anti-domestic violence laws and the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress (MPC) now has the report for review, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Comparing with the occupancy rate of domestic violence shelters in Hong Kong at around 94.3 percent, the index for Shenzhen shelters is extremely low.

Currently, there are only two shelters, one at Shenzhen Municipal Rescue Station and the other at Bao’an Rescue Station, that can provide professional aid to children and women who experience the trauma of domestic violence.

Only three to four victims were accepted at the two shelters in the city as only victims who could provide solid evidence or were in life-threatening danger could apply to stay there.

However, among all 4,763 petition letters received by the city government, nearly a quarter were complaints about domestic violence, which suggested that the current system to aid victims of domestic violence are far from adequate.

Therefore, a deputy to the MPC, Cai Qiaoyu suggested during the government’s annual “Two Sessions” this year that the authority should upgrade the two existing shelters, both in terms of staff members and facilities.

Cai also proposed that all administrative districts and new areas should be equipped with domestic violence shelters to help victims get away from their situations. All of the services, including social workers, medical staff, psychological counseling and legal aids should be provided for free, said Cai.

The lawmaker advocated that the Shenzhen city government learn from Hong Kong and purchase third-party services provided by social organizations.

The municipal women’s federation has finished drafting a set of anti-domestic violence regulations that specify all legal content relating to domestic violence, said the women’s federation.

A few other government departments are also making efforts to promote the protection of domestic violence victims. The Shenzhen Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau suggested that the protection of underage children from families with domestic violence should also be considered.

Nonetheless, the authority’s past work in solving domestic violence issues are not as efficient as they are promoted, according to a 22-year-old man who grew up in a family with violence. “I have never heard of or attended any lectures or courses that could help solve problems in my family,” said Tang.

Tang’s biological mother divorced his father when he was only 4 years old and after his stepmother joined the family, Tang’s father had been beating the woman for years. The young man thinks that these institutions should approach victims instead of waiting for the victims to ask them for help.

(Zhang Qian)