China considers banning teachers from sexual relationships with primary and middle school students and new rules on harassment
- The proposal contains clauses on sexual harassment; including dormitory safety, camera surveillance, and reporting mechanisms
- Other predatory behaviours listed include groping or touching particular parts of the body, flirting, teasing, or sexually suggestive comments
The draft of School Protection Order for Juveniles was issued by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday and, if passed into law, requires primary and middle schools to prohibit teachers from dating students or having sex with them.
Although the age of consent in China is 14 years of age, the proposed ban spells out prohibited behaviours by teachers towards students beyond those covered by statutory rape provisions, while also including students above the age of consent.
Other predatory behaviours that “hurt students’ physical and mental health” listed in the document include molesting students by groping or intentionally touching particular parts of their body, flirting, teasing, or making sexually suggestive comments.
Teachers are also banned from displaying or circulating messages, books, magazines, films, videos, or pictures that contain pornographic information to students.
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Among other regulations being proposed is a ban on schools revealing students’ rankings in tests and from publicising previous graduates who were enrolled by prestigious higher-level schools.
Teachers found violating the rules would receive disciplinary punishment and prevented from joining any award competitions for a period of one to three years. If the schools’ principal is responsible for an incident or found to have failed in their duty of care, they could be removed from their job for up to five years, the document said.