Comparing criminal justice responses to violence against women in Canada and China

Abstract

Canada and China are two very different countries in terms of their socio-economic and political contexts; however, neither country is immune to the social problem of violence against women. This paper compares the criminal justice responses to violence against women in Canada and China in order to explore the pathway of responses to violence against women in different cultural contexts, and discusses the implications for addressing violence against women on an international horizon.

Keywords:

• violence against women
• justice responses
• Canada and China

Acknowledgements

This paper is supported by the International Development program of the Canadian Institute of Health Research.

Notes

^1. The authors have made equal contributions to the development of this paper.

^2. In this article, China refers to the People's Republic of China. Taiwan and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are excluded.

^3. Dating violence against girlfriends is excluded from the scope of this paper.

^4. Since 1993 Statistics Canada has used this term to measure the prevalence of violence against women in marital or common-law relationships or by an ex-husband or an ex-common-law partner.

^5. For a summary of these changes, see Spousal Abuse: A Fact Sheet from the Department of Justice Canada (http://www.doj.ca/en/ps/fm/spouseafs.html).

^6. Founded in 1949, the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) is a semi-governmental organization dedicated to the advancement of Chinese women of all ethnic groups in all walks of life, and its mission is to represent and to protect women's rights and interests. Even though ACWF claims to be a non-governmental organization, its funding and operation are directed by government policies.

^7. When both victims and perpetrators are arrested by police as a result of a domestic violence incident.

^8. Gender-based violence against women is ‘violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman, or violence that affects women disproportionally. It includes acts that inflict physical, mental, or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty.’ (United Nations, 2006: 15)

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dora M.Y. Tam

1 1. The authors have made equal contributions to the development of this paper.