Some parents even force their daughters to marry for financial reasons, in a context where legal sanctions for rights violations are considered insufficient
A Chinese political advisor has warned of the existence of forced marriages of women with mental disabilities in rural areas of China and called for the creation of a prevention mechanism and an investigation into these cases.
Writer Jiang Shengnan, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s main political consultative body, stated that combating this problem faces several challenges, according to statements released by the official China News Service agency.
Speaking before the so-called “Two Sessions”, the annual meetings of China’s main legislative and consultative body, Jiang stated that there is a lack of support for women with mental disabilities when it comes to decisions related to marriage.
The counselor indicated that some parents even force their daughters to marry for financial reasons, in a context in which legal sanctions for rights violations are considered insufficient.
According to Jiang, the situation is even more serious in the case of homeless women with mental disabilities, who often do not receive timely help and whose cases are not always reported to the authorities, despite existing legal obligations.
To address the problem, Jiang proposed a year-long national campaign against forced marriages, which would include prevention actions, identification of cases, rescue of victims, reception, rehabilitation and judicial assistance.
The counselor also defended the creation of intervention centers for victims of forced marriages and hotlines, including the possibility of anonymous reports.
Among other measures, Jiang suggested implementing a combined mandatory reporting and early warning mechanism to protect these women’s right to autonomy in marriage.
In recent years, several such cases have come to light in China, including that of a 45-year-old woman, nicknamed Bu, who has been missing for more than a decade.
Bu, who had a history of mental illness, was found in late 2024, about 13 years after losing contact with her family, living with a man named Zhang, then 46, with whom she had several children.
The case raised suspicions of human trafficking and rape, but in January, authorities decided not to charge Zhang, arguing that her behavior was “fundamentally different from rape”, as she had intended to “form a family and live with Bu”.
The decision provoked a strong public reaction, with criticism that the marriage or family argument could be used to cover up sexual violence.
The revelation of similar cases has generated great public attention, although many discussions on the topic are censored on Chinese social media.
A volunteer report released last month called for greater coordination between government departments to rescue these women, as well as greater transparency in the release of information.
Jiang Shengnan has been advocating for women’s and children’s rights for years. Some of the counselor’s previous proposals have already impacted social changes. In 2022, he suggested relaxing the 35-year-old age limit for public service applications, which has since been raised to 40 in some cities.
Other delegates present at the “Two Sessions” also presented proposals related to women’s rights. Lawyer Fang Yan, deputy of the National People’s Congress, argued that the 30-day reflection period for divorce in force in the country should not apply in cases of domestic violence, to prevent victims from suffering additional harm.
