Calls in China to end marriages with mentally ill women
A delegate of the All-China Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and writer Jiang Shnannan has proposed a year-long campaign across China to combat forced marriages involving women with mental disorders, particularly in rural areas. This initiative is crucial to protect women's rights and stop abuses.
Some families marry off mentally ill daughters for financial gain, while penalties for rights violations remain lenient. Jiang also called for the establishment of crisis support centers and anonymous hotlines. The proposal emerged following several high-profile cases, including the story of a 45-year-old woman named Bu, found in June 2024 after 13 years of disappearance, living in the home of a rural resident Zhang, by whom she had two children.
This campaign could mark the start of systemic changes to protect mentally ill women and prevent such abuses in the future.
