Guidelines: Opinions on Handling Domestic Violence Crimes in Accordance with Law

Brief Description

In March 2015, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Justice jointly issued the “Opinions on Handling Domestic Violence Crimes in Accordance with Law”, establishing principles such as “timely and effective intervention in domestic violence by the public power” and “special protection for vulnerable groups”. Since 2014, the Supreme People’s Court has published typical cases of judicial intervention in domestic violence every year, promoting trial experience, regulating the judicial discretion of using violence against violence, and enhancing the uniformity of law application. Relevant departments issued the “Opinions on Improving the Legal Aid System”, the “Opinions on Establishing and Improving the National Judicial Assistance System (Trial)”, the “Guiding Opinions on Protection and Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence” and the “Women’s Federation’s Procedures for Accepting Domestic Violence Complaints (Trial)”, to guide the handling of domestic violence cases. Local government have successively introduced local laws or judicial documents and actively implemented the anti-domestic violence law. For instance, Shandong and Hubei Provinces have successively introduced local anti-domestic violence regulations. The Public Security Bureau of Hunan Province has formulated the “Implementation Measures for the Domestic Violence Warning System”, providing adequate legal and policy basis for women’s access to legal assistance, as well as the reduction and elimination of domestic violence.