Violence occurs in a quarter of Chinese homes

China's Supreme People's Court called for more judicial intervention, but also said domestic violence has become a serious social problem in the country.

The court estimates that domestic violence can be found in a quarter of Chinese families. Sixteen percent of married women say they have been violently treated by their husbands. Over half of female criminals have a history of domestic abuse. 90 percent of victims are either women, children or the elderly.

But experts say many instances of domestic violence go unreported. People in China firmly believe in the saying, "don't wash your dirty linen in public," and many victims of domestic abuse choose to keep silent. The lack of administrative intervention only makes the problem worse.

"Sometimes victims call the police when violence occurs. But the police can't do much except stop fights and talk for a few minutes. In a way, this encourages perpetrators to do it again. And victims are afraid that nothing will change if they bring their case to court." Beijing Dajia Law Firm's lawyer Hu Debing, said.