Domestic violence in China
A survey from the All China Women's Federation in 2013 reported that a quarter of Chinese women are victims of domestic abuse at some point in their lives, and the real number is likely to be much higher. Although anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, women experience the overwhelming majority of attacks, and almost 90% of reported cases in China involve women experiencing abuse from their husbands. Until now, Chinese law has included no specifi c protection against violence in the home. Domestic violence was only accepted as grounds for divorce in 2001, and was deemed a private matter, with no legal defi nition and poor police protection. New legislation on family violence came into eff ect in China on March 1, prohibiting the causing of physical harm, as well as verbal and emotional abuse. The legislation also applies to unmarried cohabiting couples, although currently only in male female cohabitation. The introduction of this law is a huge boost to the women of China and to the Chinese feminist organisations that have spent decades campaigning for the legislation, and for the inclusion of psychological abuse in the legal defi nition of domestic violence. Although this new legislation is welcome progress to protecting the vulnerable, legal protection alone is not suffi cient. Domestic abuse against women is irrevocably linked with societal inequality, and social conditions that devalue women perpetuate the cycle of oppression and gender based violence. Great progress has been made toward gender equality in China, but as in most of the world, there remains much room for improvement. The law coming into eff ect coincides with the annual celebrations in China for International Women's Day on March 8, and the Be Yourself campaign, an event led by the British Ambassador to China aimed at empowering women economically and socially. With the aid of protective legislation, open discussion, and engagement of men and the whole of society, the Chinese Government, educators, and feminist groups can further narrow the gender divide and enable women to increase control over their lives and health. The Lancet Domestic violence in China March 10, 2016 World Kidney Day marks the launch of The Lancet Kidney Campaign. The kidney intimately connected through its excretory, metabolic, and endocrine functions to the heart, blood, bone, blood vessels, brain, lungs, liver, gastrointestinal system, and muscles is central to health. As Adeera Levin, President of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) says in the new Kidney Campaign video, "when the kidney is sick, all of you is sick" Yet this fundamental organ has largely been ignored in discussions about global health, which have tended to focus on communicable diseases, or stroke, heart disease, lung disease, and cancer. This makes no sense. Many risk factors that contribute to these big killers also cause kidney disease, and kidney disorders can lead to or worsen these very same diseases. Many cases of acute kidney injury occur secondary to endemic infections (such as malaria or tuberculosis) public health issues such as unclean water and diarrhoeal illness, environmental exposures, or obstetric complications. Acute kidney injury can progress to chronic kidney disease and chronic kidney disease puts people at risk of developing acute kidney injury. It's a vicious cycle, and one that must be stopped. Technological advances in the last century mean we can replace some of the functions of the kidney quite successfully albeit at considerable cost and the research focus in renal replacement therapy has turned to aff ordable options, but if kidney care was better, much renal replacement therapy could be avoided entirely. Improvements in screening and preventive measures, new methods for diagnosis and treatment of inherited kidney diseases and already damaged tissues, and of course new drugs, are urgently needed. The Kidney Campaign draws together evidence from The Lancet 2013 Series on global kidney disease and the 0by25 collaboration with the ISN (which calls for an end to preventable deaths from acute kidney injury worldwide by 2025) and sets the stage for further research and advocacy in the wide spectrum of kidney disease. The Lancet calls for a refocusing of health dialogue that puts the kidney in its indisputable place at the centre. The Lancet Campaigning for kidney health
The Lancet