China Court Orders Man To Pay $4,200 Compensation For Calling Disabled Wife "Trash"

A divorce court in China has ordered a man to pay his disabled wife 30,000 yuan (approximately Rs 352,000 or $4,200) as compensation after he called her "trash". According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the court described the man, named Zhao, as a domestic abuser as he frequently insulted his wife, surnamed Qian. The couple got married in 2007 and became parents to two children, but their lives changed after Ms Qian became disabled in a traffic accident in 2015. 

After the car crash, Mr Zhao's attitude changed towards his wife, the outlet reported. He began to disrespect Ms Qian, ignoring her and verbally abusing her. When he filed for divorce, Ms Quan consented and made a claim for damages. During multiple hearings, the court learned that Mr Zhao showed no love or care for his wife. When Ms Qian needed more support because of her disability, he constantly humiliated and oppressed her instead. 

The court believed Mr Zhao did harm to Ms Qian. It ruled that his belittling behaviour towards the wife had constituted psychological abuse and his verbal attacks had totalled up to domestic violence. 

The court decided Mr Zhao should pay Ms Qian compensation of 30,000 yuan and be awarded only 40% of the value of the jointly-owned property. 

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The story saw a lot of angry reactions from users on Chinese social media. "There was no need to humiliate her. She must have suffered a lot," one user said. "Since the beginning of her disability, the man's purpose has clearly been to divorce her," said another.

"Do you not think the penalty was too mild?" asked another. "How did she tolerate the abuse for years? Poor woman," expressed a fourth user. 

Notably, China's Anti-Domestic Violence Law of 2016 stipulates that abusers who cause severe injury or death to victims can be jailed for up to seven years.