Dear Global Impact Readers, The attacks on four women in the Chinese city of Tangshan last month were truly shocking, made even more so as they were captured on video. But how many incidents go unseen - those that are not reported or are not caught on camera? In this issue, Salomé Grouard, a production editor with the SCMP’s social media team who is also the head of our Lunar Project – a Post initiative that highlights key issues related to women and gender equality in Asia – looks back at the incident and at what China is doing to protect women. Andrew Mullen Deputy Editor, Political Economy‘Society should teach boys to respect women’ Almost two months have passed since the brutal attack on four women in Tangshan, a city in China’s northern Hebei province, was caught on camera. In the clips, the women were viciously assaulted by a group of men after one of them objected to being harassed. As a result, two women were hospitalised, and nine suspects were arrested. High expectations were placed on the country’s authorities to find an appropriate answer to the violent incident, which sparked outrage among both the local and international community. However, the lessons learned from it are leaving many dissatisfied. Like in many Western countries, incidents of violence against women in China are usually presented as “isolated cases” - as acts that could not have been prevented with the intervention of authorities - or as “private matters” where only the assailant’s individual behaviour is to blame. In fact, the Tangshan attack follows a long line of high-profile cases of violence against women in China. According to a report by Beijing-based women’s rights group Weiping, since China passed its first Anti-Domestic Violence Law in 2016, there were 942 reported cases of domestic violence resulting in 1,214 deaths by the end of 2019. In China, it is also estimated that a woman experiences domestic violence every 7.4 seconds. At the beginning of 2022, the case of a woman chained up by her husband sparked outrage on social media, pushing Premier Li Keqiang to pledge to end the trafficking of women and children. In 2020, it was the violent femicide of the Tibetan vlogger Lhamo, who was set alight by her husband while she was live-streaming, which shocked the country. Public outrage has become instrumental in prosecuting such cases, but lower-profile cases do not enjoy the same degree of influence. Recently, a university teacher was demoted after the school confirmed claims that he abused his wife more than 1,000 times, but was not charged with any crime. In 2021, a man was arrested for allegedly burning his wife to death thanks to a social media plea from their son. Prosecution of cases of violence against women in China leave much to be desired. Despite slow ongoing legal reforms, both prevention and accountability concerning gender-based crimes seem to be distant goals. These discussions do not seem to sit well with the government, which has long cracked down on the feminist movement by arresting activists and censoring online debates. The Tangshan attack is no exception to the rule. Given the extreme violence, irrefutable evidence and viral nature of the footage, new resources to tackle gender-based violence could have been allocated. But instead, the Supreme People’s Court honed in on gang activity and organised crime. Although it briefly mentioned women when it condemned “cruel assaults against women, children and the elderly”, the court only told judges to focus on murders, organised crime, robberies and crimes that involved guns or explosives. Fraud and scams targeting the elderly were also highlighted. While these measures acknowledge the brutality of the attack, it fails to recognise the role of gender. In a similar vein, Weibo announced that it had suspended nearly a thousand accounts for “spreading rumours” about the attack, and for attempting to “fuel friction between men and women”. But the hashtag related to the news had received more than 580 million views a week after the attack. “The incident not only hurt these four women, but casts fear in the hearts of millions of women all over the country,” one user wrote online. “They were just friends who had met up after work and were violently beaten for refusing to engage in conversation,” another user said. “If we don’t say anything today, we know very well who will be next.” Many women across China have decided to take their safety into their own hands. Self-defence classes have been enjoying a resurgence following the Tangshan attack, with women in their twenties and thirties joining in high numbers. As useful as these classes are, both for self defence and self-confidence, there are people who think it is not a woman’s responsibility to care for her own safety. As a weibo user wrote: “Why teach girls to protect themselves? This society should teach boys to respect women.” - South China Morning Post, SCMP - Dear Global Impact Readers, The attacks on four women in the Chinese city of Tangshan last month were truly shocking, made even more so as they were captured on video. But how many incidents go unseen - those that are not reported or are not caught on camera? In this issue, Salomé Grouard, a production editor with the SCMP’s social media team who is also the head of our Lunar Project – a Post initiative that highlights key issues related to women and gender equality in Asia – looks back at the incident and at what China is doing to protect women. Andrew Mullen Deputy Editor, Political Economy‘Society should teach boys to respect women’ Almost two months have passed since the brutal attack on four women in Tangshan, a city in China’s northern Hebei province, was caught on camera. In the clips, the women were viciously assaulted by a group of men after one of them objected to being harassed. As a result, two women were hospitalised, and nine suspects were arrested. High expectations were placed on the country’s authorities to find an appropriate answer to the violent incident, which sparked outrage among both the local and international community. However, the lessons learned from it are leaving many dissatisfied. Like in many Western countries, incidents of violence against women in China are usually presented as “isolated cases” - as acts that could not have been prevented with the intervention of authorities - or as “private matters” where only the assailant’s individual behaviour is to blame. In fact, the Tangshan attack follows a long line of high-profile cases of violence against women in China. According to a report by Beijing-based women’s rights group Weiping, since China passed its first Anti-Domestic Violence Law in 2016, there were 942 reported cases of domestic violence resulting in 1,214 deaths by the end of 2019. In China, it is also estimated that a woman experiences domestic violence every 7.4 seconds. At the beginning of 2022, the case of a woman chained up by her husband sparked outrage on social media, pushing Premier Li Keqiang to pledge to end the trafficking of women and children. In 2020, it was the violent femicide of the Tibetan vlogger Lhamo, who was set alight by her husband while she was live-streaming, which shocked the country. Public outrage has become instrumental in prosecuting such cases, but lower-profile cases do not enjoy the same degree of influence. Recently, a university teacher was demoted after the school confirmed claims that he abused his wife more than 1,000 times, but was not charged with any crime. In 2021, a man was arrested for allegedly burning his wife to death thanks to a social media plea from their son. Prosecution of cases of violence against women in China leave much to be desired. Despite slow ongoing legal reforms, both prevention and accountability concerning gender-based crimes seem to be distant goals. These discussions do not seem to sit well with the government, which has long cracked down on the feminist movement by arresting activists and censoring online debates. The Tangshan attack is no exception to the rule. Given the extreme violence, irrefutable evidence and viral nature of the footage, new resources to tackle gender-based violence could have been allocated. But instead, the Supreme People’s Court honed in on gang activity and organised crime. Although it briefly mentioned women when it condemned “cruel assaults against women, children and the elderly”, the court only told judges to focus on murders, organised crime, robberies and crimes that involved guns or explosives. Fraud and scams targeting the elderly were also highlighted. While these measures acknowledge the brutality of the attack, it fails to recognise the role of gender. In a similar vein, Weibo announced that it had suspended nearly a thousand accounts for “spreading rumours” about the attack, and for attempting to “fuel friction between men and women”. But the hashtag related to the news had received more than 580 million views a week after the attack. “The incident not only hurt these four women, but casts fear in the hearts of millions of women all over the country,” one user wrote online. “They were just friends who had met up after work and were violently beaten for refusing to engage in conversation,” another user said. “If we don’t say anything today, we know very well who will be next.” Many women across China have decided to take their safety into their own hands. Self-defence classes have been enjoying a resurgence following the Tangshan attack, with women in their twenties and thirties joining in high numbers. As useful as these classes are, both for self defence and self-confidence, there are people who think it is not a woman’s responsibility to care for her own safety. As a weibo user wrote: “Why teach girls to protect themselves? This society should teach boys to respect women.”
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Is China ready to tackle violence against women?

 

Andrew Mullen

Deputy Editor, Political Economy 

30 July 2022

Welcome to our 1,154 newly joined SCMP Global Impact readers who signed up in the past week.

Dear Global Impact Readers,

The attacks on four women in the Chinese city of Tangshan last month were truly shocking, made even more so as they were captured on video.

But how many incidents go unseen - those that are not reported or are not caught on camera?

In this issue, Salomé Grouard, a production editor with the SCMP’s social media team who is also the head of our Lunar Project – a Post initiative that highlights key issues related to women and gender equality in Asia – looks back at the incident and at what China is doing to protect women.

Andrew Mullen
Deputy Editor, Political Economy

‘Society should teach boys to respect women’

Almost two months have passed since the brutal attack on four women in Tangshan, a city in China’s northern Hebei province, was caught on camera.

In the clips, the women were viciously assaulted by a group of men after one of them objected to being harassed. As a result, two women were hospitalised, and nine suspects were arrested.

High expectations were placed on the country’s authorities to find an appropriate answer to  the violent incident, which sparked outrage among both the local and international community. However, the lessons learned from it are leaving many dissatisfied.

Like in many Western countries, incidents of violence against women in China are usually presented as “isolated cases” - as acts that could not have been prevented with the intervention of authorities - or as “private matters” where only the assailant’s individual behaviour is to blame.

In fact, the Tangshan attack follows a long line of high-profile cases of violence against women in China. According to a report by Beijing-based women’s rights group Weiping, since China passed its first Anti-Domestic Violence Law in 2016, there were 942 reported cases of domestic violence resulting in 1,214 deaths by the end of 2019. In China, it is also estimated that a woman experiences domestic violence every 7.4 seconds.

At the beginning of 2022, the case of a woman chained up by her husband sparked outrage on social media, pushing Premier Li Keqiang to pledge to end the trafficking of women and children.

In 2020, it was the violent femicide of the Tibetan vlogger Lhamo, who was set alight by her husband while she was live-streaming, which shocked the country.

Public outrage has become instrumental in prosecuting such cases, but lower-profile cases do not enjoy the same degree of influence.

Recently, a university teacher was demoted after the school confirmed claims that he abused his wife more than 1,000 times, but was not charged with any crime. In 2021, a man was arrested for allegedly burning his wife to death thanks to a social media plea from their son.

Prosecution of cases of violence against women in China leave much to be desired. Despite slow ongoing legal reforms, both prevention and accountability concerning gender-based crimes seem to be distant goals.

These discussions do not seem to sit well with the government, which has long cracked down on the feminist movement by arresting activists and censoring online debates.

The Tangshan attack is no exception to the rule. Given the extreme violence, irrefutable evidence and viral nature of the footage, new resources to tackle gender-based violence could have been allocated. But instead, the Supreme People’s Court honed in on gang activity and organised crime.

Although it briefly mentioned women when it condemned “cruel assaults against women, children and the elderly”, the court only told judges to focus on murders, organised crime, robberies and crimes that involved guns or explosives. Fraud and scams targeting the elderly were also highlighted. While these measures acknowledge the brutality of the attack, it fails to recognise the role of gender.

In a similar vein, Weibo announced that it had suspended nearly a thousand accounts for “spreading rumours” about the attack, and for attempting to “fuel friction between men and women”. But the hashtag related to the news had received more than 580 million views a week after the attack.

“The incident not only hurt these four women, but casts fear in the hearts of millions of women all over the country,” one user wrote online.

“They were just friends who had met up after work and were violently beaten for refusing to engage in conversation,” another user said. “If we don’t say anything today, we know very well who will be next.”

Many women across China have decided to take their safety into their own hands. Self-defence classes have been enjoying a resurgence following the Tangshan attack, with women in their twenties and thirties joining in high numbers.

As useful as these classes are, both for self defence and self-confidence, there are people who think it is not a woman’s  responsibility to care for her own safety. As a weibo user wrote: “Why teach girls to protect themselves? This society should teach boys to respect women.”

60 SECOND CATCH-UP
Head of China’s top court orders crackdown on ‘abhorrent’ crimes amid public outcry over attack on women in Tangshan
Chinese police arrest 9 suspects over attack on women in Tangshan
🎥 9 arrested over fierce attack on women in Tangshan
Opinion: China’s focus on gang violence after Tangshan attack does little to protect women
China’s Tangshan city stripped of ‘civilised’ status after brutal attack on women diners
🎥 Chinese women turn to self-defence classes after brutal attack on female diners in Tangshan
DEEP DIVES
‘She is multitudes’: why China’s chained woman struck a nerve
Artists, poets, lawyers and netizens expressed shock about the plight of rural women sold to men and anger over authorities’ failure to protect
‘Unmarried men are seen as a source of instability … respecting women’s rights and safety are not something that concerns the Party’: human rights researcher

The theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is “Break the Bias”, which asks us to imagine a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. In the first in a series of stories about gender equality in China, Phoebe Zhang looks at how the case of one trafficked woman led to unprecedented public attention and calls for action in China.

“Is she China’s mother? Is she China’s reproductive organ? The bloody leash she wears around her neck is ringed with your coldness. The chains she wears are the shackles on your soul. On this mystical land, she is multitudes,” reads the poem Heavy Moments by Yang Jingrong. Read more

Chinese security official calls for gang crackdown following Tangshan attack
Political and legal affairs chief urges authorities to tackle street crimes, scams, prostitution, gambling and other criminal activity
The comments come two weeks after a brutal group assault on women at a restaurant in northern China

Authorities should crack down on gang activity to prevent crimes from slipping through the net, senior security official Chen Yixin said two weeks after a brutal group attack in the city of Tangshan sparked nationwide outcry.

Chen, secretary general of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, China’s top law enforcement body, said authorities should tackle crimes as soon as they emerge, with special attention on street crimes, group attacks, and other criminal activity including child abduction, pension fraud, prostitution, gambling, drug abuse, theft, robbery and scams. Read more

Taliban crackdown on Afghan women escalates while world looks away, report finds
Afghanistan has seen a surge in gender-based violence, child brides and forced marriages since the Taliban takeover, Amnesty International found
A shocking new report details how women arrested for a vaguely defined offence of ‘moral corruption’ are beaten, tortured and threatened into silence

Taliban members “started giving me electric shocks … on my shoulder, face, neck, everywhere they could,” said the university student from Afghanistan.

She was threatened and beaten after being arrested this year for appearing in public without a male chaperon, known in Arabic as a mahram. Read more

Chinese policeman sparks fresh concerns about probe into attack on women
A policeman whose force is investigating the assault in Tangshan says a forensic bureau downplayed injuries he suffered in a hit-and-run to protect criminals
The accusations made in a video that circulated online have prompted fresh public concern that local law enforcement won’t investigate the case properly

A police officer from the force investigating a serious assault on a group of women in northern China last month has accused a local forensic investigator of falsifying reports in the past – heightening public concerns about the chance of an impartial investigation into the incident.

Wang Yanhui, a policeman based in Langfang city in Hebei province, made the claims in a video that circulated widely online and accused the head of a local forensic centre of downplaying the injuries he sustained in a hit-and-run in a bid to shelter criminal elements. Read more

After brutal attack, Chinese women are turning to self-defence classes
Demand has grown since a group of men assaulted four female diners at a restaurant in Tangshan last month
Videos have also surfaced online that teach women moves such as putting an attacker in a headlock

“The most vulnerable part of a man’s body is his crotch,” trainer Liu Hongdou tells an all-women class at Jiufu Boxing in Beijing.

Liu explains precisely where they should strike, then they take turns kicking sandbags. She tells the women that hitting the man is not the ultimate goal – the goal is to inflict extreme pain to create a brief window to escape. Read more

Man accused of barging into ex-wife’s home and raping her while their daughter was sleeping shocks people in China
The man was caught on video ambushing his ex-wife and daughter and forcing his way into their home
He is accused of raping his former partner after his daughter went to sleep

Chinese police detained a man in eastern China on Monday who is accused of forcing his way into the home of his ex-wife and daughter and then raping his former partner after surveillance footage of part of the attack went viral online.

According to a Tuesday statement from police in Laiyang, Shandong province, the man surnamed Zhan was accused of sexually assaulting his ex-wife while their daughter was asleep before fleeing the home last Wednesday. Read more

To keep track of the latest global news developments, follow daily coverage on our website or focus on news about women and gender and Human rights in China.

In our next issue, we will take a break from our regular programming as we celebrate the 100th issue of our flagship Global Impact newsletter with a special edition.

We welcome your feedback. Email me at globalimpact@scmp.com or tweet me at @salomegrouard. Plus, be sure to check out our Lunar news feed for the latest news and analysis.

All the best,

Salomé Grouard

Production Editor, Social Media. Head of the Lunar Project.

Hello, thank you for reading Global Impact.

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