Laws and regulations protecting women’s rights and interests have been constantly improved. More than twenty laws and regulations have been revised including the Marriage Law, Population and Family Planning Law, Employment Promotion Law, Organic Law of the Villagers Committees, Social Insurance Law, Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women, and Special Regulations on the Labor Protection of Female Employees. In addition to protecting women’s rights, progress has been made in legislation addressing violence against women. Twenty-nine provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) have formulated local regulations or policies to prevent and prohibit domestic violence.
Law enforcement has been enhanced to protect women’s rights and interests. The NPC Standing Committee has put together great importance to law enforcement inspection and confined research on the enforcement of the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women and related issues, and urged government departments at all levels to strictly enforce the law.
The Amendment IX to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China approved in August 2015 strengthened protection of women, especially of girls under the age of 14, and specified harsher punishments for the crimes of raping girls under the age of 14 and abducting and trafficking in women and children.The State Council issued China’s Action Plan Against Human Trafficking (2013-2020). Improving the the mechanism of inter-departmental coordination.