Shanghai now has a private eye for a cheating guy with the opening of the city's first all-female detective agency, aimed at protecting women's rights. The investigation centre has been set up by privately owned Shanghai Junzhu Commercial Information Consulting. It will help women resolve marital problems by collecting evidence of extramarital affairs and domestic violence, the Oriental Morning Post said yesterday. Officials of the company could not be reached yesterday because its telephone number is unlisted. Prospective clients have to approach it through the consultancy. Since the government does not officially recognise private investigation agencies, the firm is registered under a business consulting company. Six female detectives are on the staff. 'When a woman feels her rights have been violated, she tends to have more trust in a woman than a man. Thus she is more likely to seek help from another woman,' the head of the investigation centre was quoted as saying. With increasing demand from wives eager to find proof that their husbands are keeping mistresses, the mainland's private detective business has become a growth industry in recent years but remains a legal grey area. The Ministry of Public Security strictly forbids any non-governmental organisations from handling investigative work, under a regulation issued in 1993. In June, organisers of the first China Private Detective Forum were forced to call off the event, under pressure from police and civil affairs officials in the northeastern city of Shenyang . The forum was organised by a retired police officer based in the city. The mainland already has an all-female detective agency, which was set up in the western city of Chengdu in February. It registered as a business information company and pledged to protect women's rights. Some experts argue that unregulated private detective businesses could infringe on people's privacy and other individual rights. Without proper training or regulation, investigators could violate the law by forging official documents, illegally using devices for wiretapping and impersonating government officials - all common practices in the industry.
