An Jiahe loved his wife but beat her everyday. When she got pregnant, he pushed her down and stepped on her face.

This is the scariest scene in Don't Talk to Strangers, a top-rated TV series for the past year. The series has cast a spotlighton the reality of China's domestic violence.

"Domestic violence has emerged as a serious social problem in recent years," Guo Jianmei, a law professor from Peking University,said here Friday on the ongoing 28th International Congress of Psychology.

Domestic violence includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse,most of which are against women.

There have been increasing media reports of domestic abuse in China in recent years. More than 80 percent of complaints receivedby marriage consultant services in the Guangdong province, Tianjinand Harbin relate to male violence.

Chinese women are not the only victims of domestic violence. Statistics show that one out of every three women around the worldhas been beaten, raped or emotionally abused by her husband or intimate male partner.

Guo Jianmei said violent husbands usually forbid wives to talk to other males, accuse them of unfaithfulness and even follow themeverywhere. In many cases, they have alcohol addiction.

Nancy Russo, a psychologist from Arizona State University of the United States, said in a male-dominated society, women are often prevented to expose abuses by the sense of shame. "They believe they are beaten because they haven't done a good job as wives." Also, because intervention systems in such societies are absent, injured women usually fail to find legal and social aid.

The accumulated fear and resentment sometimes lead to bloody revenge. In the female prison of Shandong Province, half of incoming female criminals in recent years are jailed for violent crimes such as murder. Most of them committed their crimes fighting their abusing husbands.

According to Lin Jianjun, a law professor from the Chinese Women's College, China's intervention system for domestic violence includes legal and social aid.

The revised Marriage Law forbids domestic violence and describes it as one of four petitions for divorce. Cities including Shenzhen, Tianjin and Harbin have set up emergency aid centers and hire patrons in communities.

However, psychological consulting and treatment services in this field are still far behind western ones.

Lin believes things are getting better. "There will be less andless violence as the society progresses, education spreads and theaid system improves."

Source: Xinhua