Beijing issues first protection order for husband

Man's wife could be detained for 15 days and fined 1,000 yuan for violating new law

A court in Beijing on Sunday handed down its first protection order for a husband who had been repeatedly beaten by his wife.

Since getting married in 2014, the husband said they had frequently quarreled over minor issues.

The husband said he was beaten by his wife in May. In November, he was beaten again, this time scaring their newborn daughter, who was present.

On Wednesday, he took previous police and medical evidence to the local people's court in Mentougou district in west Beijing on Wednesday.

The court handed down a six-month protection order against the wife, prohibiting her from further harassing, threatening or harming her husband or his family.

She was ordered to leave their home and was banned from getting within 200 meters of her husband.

Such forms of protection are part of the new Anti-Domestic Violence Law that took effect in March, which marks the first time China has countered domestic violence via a specific set of laws.

Under the law, the wife could be detained for up to 15 days and be fined up to 1,000 yuan ($150) if she violates the order.

Since the law took effect, similar restraining orders have been issued across the country more than 300 times, mostly against men, according to public court records.

Xia Yinlan, vice-president of the China Association of Marriage and Family Studies, said the law, contrary to what many people think, aims to protect every single family member, including husbands and children, rather than just wives.

"I think, in time, more men will stand up and call for public help," Xia said.

She added that such restraining orders will better protect victims and children from physical and psychological harm.

Xia admitted that she spent comparatively limited time studying or discussing cases of men being bullied by wives.

"Even when some of my male colleagues joke that they were 'suppressed' by their wives, I seldom took them seriously," Xia said.

"Now, come to think of it, some of them may actually mean it."