Li Mingshun Attends China-France Gender Equality Seminar in Paris

The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) and France's Ministry for Families, Childhood and Women's Rights, jointly held a symposium on promoting gender equality in the two nations in Paris on June 30.

Meng Xiaosi, vice-president and member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, attended the event and noted in her speech that women's rights and interests should be comprehensively incorporated into national laws and regulations. 

Improving such legislation is the common goal and hope shared between China and France on the way to improving women's status in society, Meng added.
Li Mingshun, Chairperson of the CWU Council, participated in the event, and delivered a keynote speech titled "The History and Characteristics of the Anti-Domestic Violence Law in China". 

Li reminded attendees of the following achievements:

The Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 designated strategic goals in preventing and eliminating violence against women.
 
The ACWF issued a notice on preventing and curbing domestic violence in 2000, providing a standard guidance for various departments to counter domestic violence.

The Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council released a draft law and solicited feedback from society in 2014. 

The 12th NPC Standing Committee reexamined the draft law, and, the legislators approved the nation's first law against domestic violence in late 2015.

Li emphasized that the anti-domestic violence law is a specialized one in protecting women's and children's rights and interests. The law improved and innovated the legal system of anti-domestic violence, and, enriched and strengthened the effects of state and society intervention. 

It is also a requirement of modern law to build a moderately prosperous society in all aspects; it is an important result in advancing the law-based government of China; and, it marks a significant milestone in the process of legal construction, said Li.

Thomas Dubois, an official from the French ministry, expressed that a jointly signed statement would stress the importance of frequent exchange and close cooperation among the two nations, which would also greatly promote gender equality in different industries.

Another representative stated that France would pay much attention to cracking down on violence against women and offering a fair career development platform for them, hoping that both sides would learn from each other.

The three sub-themes of the seminar were "Legislation and Mainstreaming of Gender Equality", "Fighting against Violence on Women" and "Eliminating Discrimination in Finding Employment among Women".

(Source: China Women's University/Translated and edited by Gender Study Network)