Presentation slide accompanying speech claim sexual harassment caused by erotism and revealing clothes or behaviour. Story has provoked online debate in China about sexual harassment of women and victim blaming. — SCMP
A secondary school in China has sparked controversy for telling female students not to be “flirtatious” or wear “revealing” clothes, claiming women’s behaviour is the cause of sexual harassment.
The No 1 Middle School of Huaiji county in Guangdong province in southern China is under fire after a speech given to female students in April last year surfaced online this month, reported the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.
A presentation slide accompanying the speech claimed that sexual harassment is caused by erotism and said many women became sexual harassment victims because of their revealing clothes or behaviour.
“So, as a girl, you should know how to protect yourself. Don’t wear see-through or revealing clothes, and don’t act in a flirtatious manner,” according to the slide.
After the victim-blaming presentation went viral online, the school defended itself, claiming it intended to remind girls to protect themselves. It also tried to suggest the slide was misleading the public because of the wording.
The presentation also suggested girls to avoid deserted roads at night. If they notice strangers following them, they should keep their distance and should try to get to a place with other people, such as a shop.
Following the public outcry caused by the presentation, the local education authority said it had conducted an investigation and found some words in the presentation were inappropriate.
“We have criticised the school and told its administration to rectify the mistake,” the authority said in a statement released on Aug 9. “We told the school to censor its speeches strictly in the future, improve its teachers’ training and teaching ability.”
The story has provoked online debate in China about sexual harassment of women and victim blaming.
“I don’t understand why I, at such a young age, can’t dress myself beautifully. In a society governed by law, shouldn’t I be able to choose what clothes to wear based on my own ideas? Does the school mean that I should take the bad person’s thoughts into consideration?” one woman said online.
Another online observer asked: “Why should the victims take the blame for the culprits?”
“The victims might not be perfect, but the offenders are guilty. This school is horrible for talking like this,” another person commented.
Mainland domestic media widely report cases of sexual harassment against women, and online comments regularly suggest women’s appearance is the problem behind it.
A woman in southwestern China who complained on social media in May that a taxi driver harassed her by asking her to kiss him had to release pictures of what she had worn after some Internet users claimed that her dress might have tempted the driver.
Two years ago, a Chinese cotton products maker withdrew an advertisement and apologised for “demonising” sexual harassment victims. The ad showed a young woman scaring off a would-be attacker with a make-up free face after using the brand’s make-up removal wipes. – South China Morning Post
