A father in China has been recognized for committing domestic violence after repeatedly disclosing family conflicts in his son's class group chat and other online forums.
The Hong Kong South China Morning Post reported that the People's Court of Pudong New District in Shanghai recently issued a protection order against the father in this case.
The Lin family resides in Shanghai, where the father has been estranged from his wife for an extended period, with their son living with his mother. The couple has faced ongoing disputes over child custody and other issues.
Since November of last year, the father has posted multiple messages related to family matters in his son's class group chat, parent group chat, and community chat. These messages accused his wife and in-laws of destroying the family and alienating him from his son. The court noted that the father repeatedly used emotional and derogatory language in these communications.
The internal family conflict spilled into online spaces involving the school and neighbors, affecting the son significantly. He experienced shame in front of friends and teachers, and the exposure of family issues to neighbors caused him considerable psychological pressure. Ultimately, the son applied to the court for a protection order.
He requested that his father be prohibited from committing acts of domestic violence against close family members and from using phone calls, text messages, messaging apps, or online platforms to insult, defame, or threaten them. He also asked for measures to prevent his father from harassing or following him and his family.
The People's Court of Pudong New District determined that the father's actions exceeded the bounds of typical family conflict. The court explained that such behavior infringed upon the son's personal dignity and privacy, severely impacting his academic performance, daily life, and physical and mental health. Consequently, the court ruled that this constituted emotional harm and could be classified as domestic violence under the law.
The court issued a protection order prohibiting the father from harassing his son and family through phone calls, text messages, messaging apps, or online postings. However, the court did not grant the son's request for a complete ban on contact, as there was no evidence of an ongoing risk of physical violence from the father, and it deemed it inappropriate to prevent all interactions between the parent and child.
China's anti-domestic violence law defines domestic violence not only as physical assault and restrictions on personal freedom among family members but also includes emotional harm through repeated insults or threats.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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