Scholars on Tuesday called for a new law to reduce domestic violence in order to prevent it from becoming a threat to China's social stability.

An independent domestic violence law is badly needed to protect the rights of victims in China, said Jiang Yue'e, head of the rights and interests department of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), at an ongoing workshop on domestic violence.

"Many victims fail to receive help and protection due to a lack of domestic violence laws," said Jiang.

China has yet to draft an independent law on domestic violence. Only a few of the country's laws, such as the Marriage Law, have addressed the crime.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, is considering such a law but has not offered a precise timetable regarding when the law might be written and enacted.

Appeals for new domestic violence laws were voiced by large numbers of Internet users after a scandal involving a Chinese celebrity beating his American wife came to light earlier this month.

Li Yang, a Chinese English teacher whose "Crazy English" English-teaching method made him popular in the mid-1990s, was strongly condemned by netizens after his wife posted pictures online depicting injuries that she allegedly incurred from his abuse.

A week later, Li posted a public apology online, promising that he would no longer commit acts of violence. He said that he has received psychological counseling and donated 1,000 yuan (156.5 U.S. dollars) to a counseling center for women.

In an interview with the Beijing News, Li said he set a "negative example" through his actions, adding that he hopes his case will encourage legislators to pass a new domestic violence law.

The ACWF and other government agencies have made joint efforts to curb domestic violence by setting up organizations across the country to provide counseling and legal aid to women.

However, there are still many women who do not receive help and choose to end the cycle of domestic violence through extreme measures. A Beijing resident named Zhang Lan plotted a robbery for the purpose of purposefully being jailed, as she saw imprisonment as her only escape from her husband's beatings.

Zhang was arrested in March for robbing a taxi driver; her husband agreed to a divorce following her arrest. She lost her job, but said that she does not regret her choice.

"I'm in a better mood now and the divorce will be good for me. I don't regret it at all," Zhang said in an interview with the Beijing News.

A 2007 survey indicates that domestic violence is becoming an increasingly prevalent phenomenon. In a survey of 513 female convicts living in an unspecified provincial prison, 46 percent of those surveyed indicated that they had suffered from domestic violence in the past.

The survey also stated that domestic violence has taken place in 30 percent of China's 270 million families; 85 percent of the victims were female.

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