BEIJING - Legislators are in the final stages of designing a new law to tackle the scourge of domestic violence, a leading women's rights campaigner said on Wednesday.

"It's time to move forward," said Liu Bohong, deputy director of the Women's Studies Institute of China. "The proposed law will make a huge difference in protecting human rights, especially for the victims of domestic violence."

Despite the progress, she said she is still unable to predict when the law will actually be passed.