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Support for domestic abuse victims
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VICTIMS of domestic abuse can now contact specially trained police officers at more than 200 community centers in Minhang District, the Shanghai Women’s Federation said yesterday.
Instead of going to a regular police station, victims will be able to speak to someone in their own neighborhood and also get access to a range of support services, the federation said.
Once a case has been reported, it will then be investigated by police, while the person filing the complaint will be provided with free counseling and legal advice as required, it said.
As well as the services offered at community centers, similar facilities have been established at 25 police stations in Minhang, the women’s group said.
Police officer Guo Chenhuan said that staff at all of the stations have been fully briefed on how to handle domestic abuse cases.
“Each of the stations has a room dedicated for initial interviews, which will be conducted by specially trained officers,” Guo told Shanghai Daily.
“We will then liaise with other groups and departments as necessary and proceed accordingly,” he said.
In most cases, once an allegation of domestic abuse has been made, police officers will be sent to speak to the accused, Guo said.
“This might involve simply talking to a husband or boyfriend and giving him a warning that if he continues he will be punished,” he said.
“But if a woman has been badly hurt, the suspect will face a more severe and immediate punishment,” he added.
Aside from recording crime and doling out punishment, Guo said he hopes the new initiative will help society as a whole to become more aware of the problem of domestic abuse so that its root causes can be properly tackled.
“We’re not here just to deal with cases,” he told Shanghai Daily. “If we can figure out what causes the abuse, then we can try to do something about it.”
“In a recent case, we were alerted to a man who began abusing his wife after he lost his job and became addicted to gambling,” Guo said.
“When we realized the problem, we managed to help him get a job and the abuse stopped immediately,” he said.
As well as the cooperation in Minhang, the women’s federation said it is working with police in other parts of the city.
The women’s federation said that it received a total of 399 complaints of domestic violence last year, an increase of about 5 percent from the year before.
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