Comparison between interviewing Abused
Women and Answering Hotline
-- Privacy and Social Intervention in Chinese
Society
Ding Ning
The growing activities of anti-domestic violence
in China brought about rapid increase of the
number of callers to the Red Maple Women’s Hotline.
There are more and more women who refuse to
tolerate domestic violence. However, if you
wish to find an abused woman and ask her to
tell her story in an interview, you will find
there are very few willing women. Among those
who have cooperated with our interviews, there
is a high rate of women who are divorced or
who are punished by the criminal justice system
because they tried to fight back. Hating domestic
violence but refuse to disclose it, this seems
to be contradictory, but if you analyze this
issue, you will find a significant social problem
behind it.
2. How much privacy do we enjoy in our society?
Is this right protected?
China is a densely populated country, it is
difficult to protect the right to privacy. In
fact, the right to privacy is a concept newly
accepted by public opinion. Abused women belong
to the disadvantaged, it is their natural selection
to try to avoid further injury. It is more acceptable
for them to approach the women’s hotline because
they do not meet their interviewers, they do
not need to disclose their name and work units.
They do not wish to disclose their misfortune,
but they wish to have understanding and assistance.
It is not because they do not wish to talk,
but because their individual rights are not
fully recognized.
3. The fact that abused women wish to get assistance
shows that society is able to intervene in individual’s
private life. However, such intervention is
quite limited. Disclosing one’s true situation
won’t get her much efficient social support.
There are no shelters, no effective laws, but
there are pressures resulting from traditional
prejudice. Disclosing the abuse will more often
result in marriage breakdown or bring about
further abuse. What is more, they usually do
not have necessary resources. Women’s hotline
is at least free and there is profound understanding
for abused women. Social intervention of private
life is still at an initial stage, it is yet
to be systemized and perfected.
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