In recent years, the proportion of domestic violence in Zhejiang remained high. The public security departments of our province received and handled about 20 thousand cases related to domestic violence every year and the letters and calls concerning domestic violence accounted for 14% of all those complaint letters and calls from people. The 20th Session of the 11th Standing Committee of the Provincial People s Congress held this September examined and passed the Regulations on Preventing and Curbing Domestic Violence. From January 1st on, the regulations will be officially enforced.
The highlights of the new regulations are the restricted exercise of the public power and the division of the responsibilities of different departments, especially those of providing police services for emergencies by public security departments and those of preserving evidence by hospitals. Another feature of the regulations is that they are designed with complete impartiality.
The regulations show no prejudice against the victims of domestic violence irrespective of their sex and age. Those who are under the protection of the regulations include all the family members suffering from domestic violence, in other words, those who are relatively weaker in family life.