Couples in China will soon be able to check on a database if their spouse has a history of domestic abuse.
Yiwu, a city in eastern China, dreamed up the idea after the number of domestic violence incidents rose during the COVID-19 lockdown, according to reports.
The city will start a trial of the programme on July 1. The database will only be accessible for Yiwu residents, and will include the names of offenders who have had restraining orders, jail terms or convictions since 2017, The Guardian reports.
According to Chinese news website The Paper, to use the system people just need to show a form of ID and details of the person they are marrying.
Anyone can make up to two inquiries each year.
Yiwu Women's Federation member Zhou Danying told The Paper he believes the database is needed.
"Society's attention to domestic violence is getting higher and higher, and the tolerance for domestic violence is getting lower and lower."
Danying hopes it will bring down levels of abuse, "preventing warnings and reducing domestic violence."
Nearly two-thirds of Women's Refuges in New Zealand reported a rise in demand for services during our level 4 lockdown.
