Equality

Promoting Justice for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in China

Focus area: Strengthening Institutional Response, Improving Service Delivery

Photo: maaretta.wordpress.com

Domestic and gender-based violence remain serious problems in Chinese society affecting up to a third of all Chinese families and at least half of all Chinese women. Government intervention efforts have primarily focused on intimate partner violence against married women. While this category of domestic violence makes up the largest percentage of cases, a substantial portion of those who experience domestic violence also belong to other vulnerable groups, including women with HIV/AIDS and lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LBT) women. LBT and HIV/AIDS advocates report that the stigma and discrimination affecting these groups often impedes access to legal interventions and social services, making these populations particularly susceptible to long-term, unreported abuse.

Photo: Equality China

The project seeks to empower women and girl survivors of violence from marginalized and vulnerable communities, such as LBT women and women living with HIV/AIDS, to advocate for their rights and gain access to legal assistance and social services. The project will also focus on informing policymakers and government stakeholders about the rights, interests and needs of these communities of survivors in order to better inform the drafting of important new legislation on domestic violence and improve the implementation of existing policies. It will also work to train legal professionals, government stakeholders and direct service providers in best practices for intervention in cases of domestic and gender-based violence, especially multisectoral coordinated approaches. By the end of the project, it is envisioned that the perspectives of LBT women and women living with HIV/AIDS will be integrated into new legislation on domestic violence.