OpinionTo protect its abused women, China must fight ingrained male chauvinism
- A recent domestic violence case has triggered discussion about why it is so difficult to obtain a divorce in China. The nation needs to rethink cultural assumptions about divorce, and the system must help abused women, instead of sending them home
A man beating up his wife, dragging her around by her hair while shouting abuse. At first look, the footage posted online by Liu Zengyan, a victim of domestic violence, is not uncommon in China, disturbing as it is. Similar scenes are not uncommon on Chinese streets.
What comes next in the video is shocking, though. Liu, the wife in the video, jumps from the second floor and lands on the ground, ending up with nine broken bones. She is now recovering and has to use a wheelchair.
In recent interviews with various Chinese media outlets about the incident in August last year, Liu, of Shangqiu in central China’s Henan province, explained that she jumped not to attempt suicide but to escape her husband, who had threatened to kill her.
Shockingly, all this was not enough for the Zhecheng County court in Henan to grant Liu the divorce she was seeking.
As a desperate measure, Liu posted the footage, which had been caught by security cameras in her boutique shop, on WeChat, China’s popular social media platform.