Report highlights top children's concerns
Bullying at school and sexual assault are among children’s top concerns, according to a report released by the Shanghai Women’s Federation highlighting the top 10 crimes against women and children in 2020.
In one case, a high school student surnamed Wang became a target of relentless bullying by a classmate surnamed Li because he was shy and unsociable.
Initially, Li punched and kicked Wang, going on to force Wang to drink his urine and extorting money. Others in the class are said to have turned a blind eye.
Li didn’t own up to his wrongdoing even when he was put on trial. “Wang is always my best friend,” he told the court.
Li has been punished for extortion, indecency and provoking trouble. Details were not revealed. Wang is receiving psychological counseling.
Discovering, handling and intervening in school bullying, is hard according to the Shanghai Sunhold Law Firm that handled the case.
Victims should speak out, and teachers and parents should take it seriously. Education and judicial authorities are also urged to take measures and stress zero tolerance to school bullying, the firm said.
In a sexual assault case, the report tells of a girl who was molested by her calligraphy teacher at a training center. Qingpu prosecutors found that the relevant authorities didn’t punish headmasters of schools where sexual assaults took place. And Pudong prosecutors found child prostitution rampant as adults seduced the underaged to offer sexual services through the Internet.
Ge Yingmin, vice chairman of the federation, said the report seeks to attract authorities’ attention to these problems. She urged different government departments to work together to amend current regulations and make new ones to better protect the rights of women and children.