Millions of children in China ‘victims of sexual assault’
- Nearly 30 million Chinese children could have been victims of sexual assault, researchers say
- Few cases ever make it to court because of social stigma and lack of awareness
An estimated 2.7 million children in China may have been raped, according to researchers investigating child sexual assault.
Shang Xiaoyuan, from Beijing Normal University’s Family and Child Research Centre, said studies by various researchers indicated that about 8-12 per cent of China’s 270 million minors faced some form of sexual assault, including about 1 per cent who were sexually penetrated, news portal Caixin.com reported on Friday as China prepares to mark Children’s Day on Sunday.
“If the research is accurate, that means nearly 30 million Chinese children could have been victims of sexual assault, and among them, 2.7 million faced the worst kind,” Shang was quoted as telling a child protection forum in Zhengzhou, Henan province, this week.
Sun Xuemei, co-founder of girls welfare group the Beijing All In One Foundation, said very few cases of child sexual assault made it to court. Between 2015 and 2018, Chinese courts heard 11,519 cases involving allegations of child molestation.
“The cases exposed and faced trial is only the tip of an iceberg,” Sun was quoted as saying.
As part of their research, Shang’s team interviewed victims from 126 cases and identified various factors preventing reports of assault. These included a lack of sexual knowledge among children and their families, fear of reprisal, and social stigma. Researchers also found that some relatives “responded negatively” to the child’s attempt to reveal the assault, the report said.