Ban teacher-student relationships in college too

Renmin University of China stripped a professor surnamed Wang of his title on Monday night after a video of a female scholar he was mentoring, accusing him of sexual harassment and coercive molestation, went viral over the weekend.

Similar cases popped up afterwards in some universities in Anhui, Shaanxi and Shandong provinces.

These cases prove that female students need protection from sexual predators in the form of mentors and teachers. It takes great courage for a female student to stand up against a sexual predator who wields power and controls academic resources.

There are many cases in which women who have been sexually harassed have chosen to remain silent.

According to A Report of the College Students' Sexual and Reproductive Health Survey 2019-20, jointly written by the China Family Planning Association, China Youth Network and the Tsinghua University Health Research Center, of 54,580 participants from 1,764 domestic colleges and universities, about one-third had faced various kinds of sexual harassment, yet only 3.88 percent of them approached the police.

After all, it's hard to collect evidence and the students, being young, naturally fear the power that their tormentors wield.

That's essentially why there is a growing consensus that relationships between college teachers and students should be made a strict no-no, as it is often used as an excuse to sweep sexual harassment cases under the carpet. A redline should be drawn to minimize the chances of sexual harassment from those with power in campus.

In 2021, the Ministry of Education banned teacher-student relationships in middle and primary schools where most students are minors. It is time even colleges adopted this kind of ban, as college students, most of whom are just a few years above 18, also need protection.