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Analysis Promoting women’s health in China

Breaking the societal silence on domestic violence against women in China: the role of mental health services

BMJ 2024; 386 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-078639 (Published 30 August 2024) Cite this as: BMJ 2024;386:e078639

Read the collection: Promoting women's health in China
  1. Zhaorui Liu, professor1,
  2. Tingting Zhang, assistant professor1,
  3. Tak-Ching Tai, masters student1,
  4. Yuanyuan Li, doctoral student1,
  5. Ruoxi Ding, associate professor1,
  6. Yueqin Huang, professor12,
  7. Shuiyuan Xiao, professor
  1. 1Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China
  2. 2National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
  1. Correspondence to: Y Huang huangyq{at}bjmu.edu.cn

Mental health professionals can make the breakthrough needed to combat the underseen impact of domestic violence on women’s health in China, say Yueqin Huang and colleagues

Key messages

  • In China and many other Asian countries, domestic violence against women is often hidden under societal norms of family affairs, and concurrent psychological problems create dual difficulties for survivors seeking help

  • Chinese women rarely seek help, so empowering them and recognising their right to challenge cultural norms is necessary

  • Preventing and combating domestic violence against women requires multilevel efforts, and mental health professionals can play pivotal roles at these levels to break the silence on domestic violence

  • Leveraging mental health services and cooperating with other support systems can gradually change the Asian cultural conception of domestic violence

China’s dedication to women’s rights was initiated in 1949 by the foundation of the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF), the first national organisation for women. In response to domestic violence, the legislation of the Anti-Domestic Violence Law in 2016 set a firm legal grounding to protect women from domestic violence.

Even with the advances made, domestic violence against women is still often neglected by the public services, community, and the women themselves owing to the deep rooted cultural bias, resulting in pervasive societal silence on domestic violence. Tackling this requires multilevel efforts such as cultural shifts, legal action, community support, and training programmes for survivors and perpetrators. Trained mental health professionals are key to these interventions and essential to breaking the silence.

The unspoken reality of domestic abuse

Defined as any form of gender based violence resulting in physical, sexual, or psychological harm and controlling behaviour by an intimate partner, domestic violence is a prevalent and severe problem in China. The national survey on the status of Chinese women conducted by the ACWF in 2010 reported that the lifetime prevalence of domestic violence in …

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