Marriage guidance needs better standards

About 100 experts discussed the development of China's marriage consultation services and the training of marriage councilors at a seminar on Sunday.

Services require restructuring and and upgrade to regulate practices, said Tao Lin, executive deputy director of the Shenzhen City Family Planning Association.

"There should be regulations to standardize the industry and an agency registration system," he said.

Lawmakers are deliberating a civil code consisting of general provisions and sections on property, contracts, personality rights, marriage and family, inheritance, and torts.

People who submit divorce applications can withdraw the application within a month. The "cooling-off period" triggered a heated debate.

"The period allows couples to have more time to re-consider their decision, but it should exempt situations such as abuse and domestic violence," said Shu Xin, director of the China Marriage Consultation Service Research Center.

"It can prevent divorce on impulse, but it will also probably provide room for shady property transfers and escalated domestic violence," he said.