Mind Control and Abused-Related Suicide: The Criminal Justice Response to Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in China

Abstract

Mind control is a new form of intimate partner violence. It involves the abuser verbally humiliating and intimidating his or her partner in order to increase his or her emotional dependence. The consequences are self-doubt or self-denial on the part of the abused person, fear of resisting the abuser, or even self-mutilation or suicide at the abuser's instigation. Recently, a Chinese court ruled in a case where mind control led to the suicide of his girlfriend, sentencing the defendant, Mu Linhan, to three years and two months in prison for abuse. This case brings the form of violence known as mind control officially into the public view. In this case, the court made a breakthrough in determining that a non-marital cohabitation relationship establishes a family member relationship, and recognized the causality of mind control on suicide. In recent years, China has effectively contributed to the protection of women's rights and interests through the Anti-Domestic Violence Law and criminal law. However, shortcomings in the law limit the ability of rules to combat domestic violence. China should introduce additional criminal law provisions on new forms of domestic violence and improve the scope of criminal law regulation of domestic violence offences.