Chinese students use #MeToo to take fight against sexual harassment to elite universities
Activists say petitions calling for more action on abuse and discrimination have been filed at up to 50 top colleges in past week alone
After a slow take-up of the global #MeToo movement in China, activists are now battling strict censorship to take the campaign to university campuses and push for action to combat sexual harassment following a series of high-profile allegations.
Over the past two weeks, students and alumni from dozens of Chinese universities have launched online petitions calling on their schools to draw up policies to prevent sexual harassment on campus.
While the #MeToo campaign – also known as #Woyeshi in China – has shed light on sexual abuse cases around the world, it had been slow to gain traction in China.
The movement calls on people to speak out against sexual and domestic violence, and gender discrimination in the workplace and higher education.
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In China’s conservative culture, sexual harassment and assault have long been taboo subjects. Victims also have to battle a state-driven crackdown on activism and an ineffectual legal system.
According to a survey conducted last year by the Guangzhou Gender and Sexuality Education Centre and law firm Beijing Impact, more than 69 per cent of Chinese university students had experienced some form of sexual harassment, although less than 4 per cent had reported it.
