Child abusers are the new target of a #MeToo-like campaign in China

“#Trigger Warning# I can’t help but think of that time in junior high when my male class teacher used his sturdy hands to grab both of my arms and pull me against him… There was also the ‘very busy’ female teacher who saw everything but only raised her eyes once and hurriedly lowered her head,” wrote one of the many Weibo users blogging with the viral hashtag.

#Trigger Warning# is the latest vehicle used by men and women in China to share their stories of sexual harassment. The hashtag kicked off a fresh wave of online discussion, generating more than 94,000 posts that had been viewed 210 million times on Weibo by Monday afternoon, according to the microblogging platform’s counter.

Since the #MeToo movement exploded globally in late 2017, activists in China have been fighting online censorship to amplify the voices of sexual assault victims. The latest effort stems from a recent report by Chinese news magazine South Reviews. In the lengthy article, the author interviewed a woman who accused lawyer Bao Yuming, said to be her adopted father, of raping her as a minor.

In a statement last Friday, telecom giant ZTE said Bao resigned as an independent non-executive director from the company board. Oil company Jereh said it “ended a labor contract” with Bao after negotiation, citing reports of the alleged sexual assault. Bao did not respond to our request for comment via a Weibo message.

The events have revived a heated conversation around sexual misconduct in China -- one that has repeatedly been suppressed online while leaving a more enduring mark in the real world. When doctoral student Luo Xixi came forward two years ago with accusations against her former professor, it resulted in the university sacking the alleged perpetrator. Yet hashtags and posts supporting the #MeToo movement were repeatedly subjected to heavy censorship on social media, according to a research project by the University of Hong Kong.