China’s state-run English newspaper, China Daily published an opinion piece yesterday with the title, ‘Weinstein case demonstrates cultural differences’.
The article suggested that cases of sexual harassment like those that came to light in the US last week simply couldn’t happen in China - because thanks to Chinese values, men are more respectful towards women.
Sava Hassan, a male Canadian-Egyptian teacher, writes: ‘Chinese men are taught to be protective of their women. Behaving inappropriately toward women, including harassing them sexually, contradicts every Chinese traditional value and custom.’
He goes on to say, ‘It is a well-known fact that China is a traditional society based upon commendable values and virtues that respect the dignity and humanity of its citizens, regardless of their gender.’
Obviously, this is ludicrous.
Readers were quick to criticise, arguing that China is not some kind of sexual harassment free zone. Many argued that sexual harassment is widespread in China and that traditional gender roles and societal misogyny persistently thwart women's rights.
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Even if the streets of Chinese cities might seem like a safer place for women than elsewhere, China has its own set of problems.
A third of university students in China have experienced sexual violence or harassment, and China faces a huge problem of gender-based violence in the workplace. In low-wage industries like retail and domestic work, in particular, instances of sexual harassment often slip under the radar and go unreported. Given that speaking out about sexual harassment can lead to forced resignations, dismissal and retaliatory harassment, some employers are able to act with impunity.
Sexual harassment is also rampant on China’s metros, according to a state media poll, with 53.5 per cent of female respondents saying they had experienced sexual harassment or knew a woman who had, and 16.7 per cent said that it was ‘hard to say’.
A woman in her mid-30s had her throat cut after slapping a man who sexually harassed her on the bus last July in Beijing’s Tongzhou District, and police now patrol the city’s metro in the morning and evening rush hours.
If sexual harassment didn’t exist in China, there’d be no need to the trial women-only metro carriages in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as they did last summer. (One woman said, ‘At least there won’t be any uncomfortable stares when I wear shorts.’)
Marital rape is still not illegal, and domestic assault was considered a family matter by police for years.
Clearly sexual harassment is a huge issue facing women in China. Rather than there being no sexual harassment whatsoever, it seems that in reality, women feel scared and ashamed to share their experiences. And this certainly isn't helped by a state media that glosses over negative domestic stories.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.