Domestic Violence

The Asia Foundation released a new research report, Impact of Domestic Violence on the Workplace in China, at a launch event in Beijing. The timing of the report coincides with “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence,” the global campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. The research release event was hosted by the Embassy… Read more

China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law (DV Law) identifies employers as key stakeholders in addressing domestic violence. However, there is limited data on how domestic violence affects the workplace in China or how employers understand their responsibilities. The Asia Foundation and SynTao Co., Ltd. conducted research to fill this gap, and the finding… Read more

In 2016, after 20 years of advocacy, China passed the Anti-Domestic Violence Law. Employers were identified as key stakeholders in addressing domestic violence (DV) in China’s Anti-DV Law. However, there is limited data on how DV affects the workplace in China or how employers understand their responsibilities. To fill this gap, The Asia Foundation… Read more

The Asia Foundation’s research in 2015 on contributing factors for IPV found alcohol abuse to be a significant risk factor in triggering IPV, both in frequency and severity. Despite the wide-ranging presence of international and local alcohol brands and products, Cambodia still has no enforceable minimum drinking age, no limitation on serving alcoh… Read more

In early 2016, The Asia Foundation commissioned research on the alcohol industry in Cambodia. The research aimed to increase understanding of the taxation, regulation, distribution and consumption of alcohol to enable the development of strategies and interventions to reduce the risk of alcohol related intimate partner violence.

Four years ago, Ms. Huang, a clerk at a local township government in China, was at work when her newly wedded husband showed up in rage. “He stormed into my workplace, kicked open one door and another searching for me. He even followed my co-worker’s car.” Her supervisor sent the office car to escort her from work, and arranged for her to stay at a… Read more

On the eve of this year’s Chinese New Year, 17-year-old Xiao Bao (alias used in the media) killed himself at home in a village in Yunnan Province, leaving a letter to tell how much he had suffered for years from neglect and abuse by his father. Xiao Bao’s parents made a living in the capital city of Yunnan Province, and lived there with his three o… Read more

Last December, Mongolia’s Parliament passed an amended version of the 2004 Law to Combat Domestic Violence. Recent amendments have made domestic violence a criminal offence for the first time in the country’s history and mark a critical step forward for victims of this type of violence.* This is a particularly momentous step for Mongolian women, wh… Read more

In 2014, Cambodia’s government endorsed its second National Action Plan for Violence Against Women—one of a handful of critical steps the country has taken recently in eliminating violence against women. While this is good news, the overall prevalence rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the last decade has changed little. According to the Ca… Read more

China’s first national law against domestic violence came into effect on March 1, 2016. The law marks a significant step forward from the country’s existing legislation by legally defining domestic violence and extending legal protection to victims. Yet a fundamental cure for the epidemic of domestic abuse – which disproportionately affects women –… Read more

Last month, China passed its first-ever national law against domestic violence, the result of a decade-long campaign driven by the country’s civil society groups. The new law, which goes into effect on March 1, takes a significant step forward from existing legislation by legally defining domestic violence as physical and psychological abuse of family members…

As in many countries, there are myriad challenges to ending violence against women and children in Timor-Leste. Among these challenges, assumptions concerning women’s economic vulnerability and their dependence on their spouses can have a significant…

The debate over women’s rights as a central element of development has been transformed in the 20 years since the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, and then-First Lady Hillary Clinton’s clarion call to action, “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.”

On February 16, Dr. Rui Maria de Araújo delivered his first speech as new prime minister of Timor-Leste, driving home a commitment to peace, reconciliation, economic development, and poverty reduction. He also emphasized the need to build a more inclusive society…

One year ago, on December 16, the fatal rape case of a 23-year-old woman in a Delhi suburb shocked the nation, grabbing international news headlines, and mobilized the government and civil society to recognize…

Every year, a “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign is held across the globe, including in Mongolia, to increase awareness about this global pandemic. This year in Mongolia, the spotlight was shone on domestic violence…

The rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in a middle-class area of New Delhi in December ignited protests across India and the world, and three months later, led to the government’s passage of a new rape law that stiffens punishments of sexual violence…

Traditionally in China, domestic violence has been considered a private issue that should be kept within the household, with any outside interventions left at the doorstep. Despite efforts by the authorities and women’s rights groups to raise public awareness of the issue, domestic violence has long been absent from public or media discourse, and most victims of domestic violence remain silent. However, recent events and advocacy efforts are starting to shake this pattern of silence. In late 2011, Kim Lee, an American woman, publicized her divorce from her celebrity Chinese husband and spoke out against the domestic violence epidemic in China, bringing it to the center of media and public attention.