Chinese Activists Call for Change Amid ‘Pandemic’ of Domestic Abuse
For years, abusive online comments and videos showing violence against women have flooded China’s cyberspace, with one survivor calling the problem “another pandemic.”
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While China’s anti-domestic violence law has been in existence since 2016, domestic violence is still regarded by many as a taboo. Activists say disruptions of civil society in recent years have made awareness-raising campaigns a lot harder, reports The Guardian. For years, abusive online comments and videos showing violence against women have flooded China’s cyberspace, with one survivor calling the problem “another pandemic.” Xiao Meili, a Chinese feminist, blamed internet companies for not doing enough to stop the spread of misogynistic messages online.
But there are signs authorities may be taking action against Chinese internet companies: a video of the actor Liu Zhoucheng, who has been accused of abusing his ex-wife, mock-punching in front of a camera resulted in him being banned from social media. Another highly-shared video of men attacking a woman in Tangshan prompted Chinese state media to blame social media companies for allowing the spread of violent behavior.
