NEW fathers in Shenzhen could enjoy a paternal leave of 30 days to nurse the newborns if a new regulation on gender equality is adopted later this year.
At a call-in program of Shenzhen Radio, Yuan Liping, vice chief of Shenzhen Women s Federation, said the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal People s Congress was considering a new rule to guard equality between men and women.
At present, women enjoy a maternity leave between three to six months while men have only a 10-day leave to take care of the newborns.
According to the draft, the city will set up an organization to implement the new regulation, which will also tackle domestic violence. If the draft is adopted, a court will issue a warrant at the request of a victim of familiy violence to bar the perpetrator from approaching the victim. The victim can apply for 72-hour temporary protection from a court and the perpetrator should bear the cost of the accommodation and expenditure arising from the protected stay.
The new regulation will also address sex discriminations in employment. (Han Ximin)
