China divorce court orders man who called disabled wife ‘trash’ to pay US$4,200 compensation as insult is ‘domestic violence’
- Couple married in 2007, have 2 sons, live happy, peaceful life together
- She has accident in 2015, needs help with disability, he abuses her
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A divorce court in China has ordered a man who called his disabled wife “trash” to pay her 30,000 yuan (US$4,200) in compensation.
The man, Zhao, from Sichuan province in southwestern China – whose outburst has attracted widespread attention on mainland social media – was described by the court as a domestic abuser because he frequently insulted his wife, surnamed Qian.
After Qian became disabled in a traffic accident in 2015, her husband began treating her differently, Star Video reported.
The couple, who married in 2007 and raised two sons, had lived a happy and peaceful family life before Qian was seriously injured in a car accident.
Qian was lucky to survive the accident, but she almost lost her life and her ability to work.
From then on, Zhao began to disrespect his wife, ignoring her and verbally abusing her.
When Zhao filed for divorce, Qian consented and made a claim for damages.
During several hearings, the court learned that Zhao showed no love or care for Qian. When his wife needed more support because of her disability, he constantly humiliated and oppressed her instead.
The court believed Zhao did harm to Qian.
It also ruled that the belittling behaviour dished out by Zhao constituted psychological abuse and that his verbal attacks amounted to domestic violence.
The court decided Zhao should pay Qian compensation of 30,000 yuan (US$4,200) and be awarded only 40 per cent of the value of the jointly-owned property.
The story sparked anger on the mainland social media
“There was no need to humiliate her. She must have suffered a lot,” one online observer said.
“Since the beginning of her disability, the man’s purpose has clearly been to divorce her,” said another.
“Do you not think the penalty was too mild?” another asked.
“How did she tolerate the abuse for years? Poor woman,” another wrote.
China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law of 2016 stipulates that abusers who cause severe injury or death to victims can be jailed for up to seven years.
According to a news report in March by Nanfang Daily, the Supreme People’s Court dealt with 2.17 million domestic violence cases in 2023, a 19.5 per cent increase from 2022.
During the same period, the court issued 5,695 personal safety protection orders to victims of domestic violence, a 41.5 per cent year-on-year growth from 2022.
