Sexual Assault Awareness

According to a survey on sexual assault awareness education in China in 2016, nearly seven in 10 parents had not talked about sex education with their children, more than half of parents could not determine whether their children had been assaulted based on their words and behavior, and nearly nine in 10 children had never received any education about sexual assault. In 2016, 433 cases of sexual assault on children under 14 were reported in the country, an increase of 27 percent year-on-year. Nine in 10 victims were female. Many of the assaults were performed by close relatives or acquaintances, making discovery difficult. Most victims lack the ability to seek justice making it difficult to collect sufficient evidence and secure compensation. Sexual education for children is urgently required, and a comprehensive support mechanism that incorporates social organizations, psychological counseling institutions and judicial agencies must be established.