Paul Tsai China Center Hosts Talk with Chinese Gender Equality Advocate

On Tuesday, November 29 the Paul Tsai China Center welcomed pioneering women’s rights advocate Liu Minghui of China Women’s University Law School. Professor Liu delivered a talk on her experiences establishing China’s first law school course on gender and legal issues, and acting as an expert in various national legislative drafting sessions. She also shared her work as a pro bono lawyer representing clients involved in a divers

e range of gender discrimination cases. Professor Liu’s groundbreaking work includes representing the plaintiff in China’s first case involving gender discrimination in hiring practices. More recently, she also provided legal representation in China’s first discrimination case involving a transgender person.

Professor Liu concluded her remarks with a discussion of the vibrancy of Chinese legal education and the proactive role law students in China are often able to play in representing clients and performing research to better inform the outcomes of individual cases as well as local policies and practices. She also shared insights into recently passed legislation including China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law and the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women, offering nuanced views on the extent to which these new statutes have or have not had their desired effect in reducing violence and discrimination against women. She called for continued vigilance in ensuring that Chinese legal actors continue to make efforts on behalf of vulnerable populations such as women and children.