New law requires 30-day cooling-off period before Chinese couples can divorce
- The clause in the new Civil Code, which will take effect on January 1, does not apply to families with a history of domestic violence or extramarital affairs
- The move generated anger and concern, with one commenter saying: ‘It’s not helpful in protecting women’s rights’
China has passed a law establishing a cooling-off period for couples who want to dissolve their marriage in an effort to lower the country’s soaring divorce rate.
From next year, couples ready for a divorce-by-agreement must wait 30 days to rethink their decision, according to a new Civil Code law passed by the National People’s Congress on Thursday.
People can withdraw their divorce application within this time. After the waiting period, those who go to the civil affairs authority and still want to divorce will receive their official documents.
The clause does not apply to families with a history of domestic violence or extramarital affairs since these couples usually divorce through lawsuits, legal experts said.
Li Shaoping, vice-president of the Supreme People’s Court, said that people’s freedom to divorce should be respected but that divorcing in a wilful and rash way was harmful to families and the society, the 21st Century Business Herald reported.