Doubts criminal law has teeth to protect minors from sex predators

News that yet another teacher has been accused of molesting students - this a time a primary school principal in Hainan - sparked soul-searching media commentaries on how the mainland's school system and the criminal law itself had failed to protect minors.

China National Radio online reported on Tuesday that six girls, aged 12 or 13, from two primary schools in Wanning were taken to hotels for a night in that city and Haikou by the principal of a primary school and a civil servant on May 8.

The principal and civil servant were taken into custody, although there have been conflicting accounts from police and parents over whether in fact the girls had been sexually assaulted.

On Tuesday, the Beijing News said the case again underscored the marked decline in adult moral standards, including teachers, and exposed flaws in school administration and oversight. "There has been an apparent lack of a clear line beyond which teachers and pupils can go in their interaction on a daily basis," the paper said.

The high esteem in which the profession was held in China could be exploited by teachers who preyed on children, it said.

In many developed countries awareness of sexual assault and harassment is an integral part of sex education at school, but educators on the mainland avoid the topic as some parents mistakenly believe it encourages children to be promiscuous.

As more details about the Hainan case came to light, the media also scrutinised the upbringing of the girls.