China's first anti-domestic violence law takes effect today. It was adopted after two hearings, instead of the usual three, and this reflects the changing style of the current legislature.

The first law against domestic violence, is an important step the country has taken to protect the rights of women, children and senior citizens. The law defines family abuse, and streamlines the process of obtaining restraining orders.

"Domestic violence used to be governed by separate laws and regulations, such as the marriage law. But now the new special law reflects the rising social need to protect women's rights, and it will make law enforcement easier," said Kan Ke, Dep. Dir., Legislative Affairs Comm.

Though there were only two readings over a span of four months, lawmakers had been involved in the drafting much earlier. Relevant authorities had done research in the past few years, and held in-depth discussions with the government and women's associations. This led to a carefully written draft and ensured lawmakers were well informed on the topic.

"The time span of reading a bill has been shortened in some legislation, and the frequency of revising laws has also been notably increased," Kan said.

About one in every four Chinese women suffer from domestic violence at some point in their life, according to a survey conducted by the All-China Women's Federation in 2013.

Each year, the federation gets about 50,000 complaints of domestic violence. And experts estimated that the actual number is far higher than this, but most victims choose to remain silent because of a lack of effective legal protection.

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