Campaign launched against child abuse

Training sessions and seminars will be available to mothers and children across the country as part of a government move to tackle recent incidents of child abuse.

A campaign against child abuse and sexual assault was launched on Tuesday by the All-China Women's Federation, the China Women's Development Foundation and other public service organizations.

The campaign is geared toward mothers and children, especially girls and left-behind children in rural areas as well as migrant workers' children. It aims to create a good social environment for children.

"A website will also be set up to pass on information about the protection of children's rights. We will also have surveys and discussions to solicit suggestions about laws and regulation," said Qin Guoying, secretary-general of the China Women's Development Foundation, at the launch ceremony.

Emergency aid and psychological assistance will be provided to children who have been victimized.

A hotline - with the number 400 1600 011 - was also launched.

Family has a vital role to play in this regard, Qin said. "If the mother educates her child about how to prevent sexual assault, the child will be aware of self-protection."

Song Xiuyan, vice-president of the All-China Women's Federation, said the federation has "zero tolerance" for child abuse and sexual assault.

Feng Derong, mother of a 13-year-old girl, said she is willing to learn how to avoid child sexual abuse and pass that knowledge to her daughter.

She said she hopes her daughter's school will also open a sexual abuse prevention course.

Recent cases of child abuse and sexual assault have put the protection of children in the spotlight.

A junior high school teacher in Hefeng, Hubei province, was detained for allegedly having sex with at least eight female students, local police said on Wednesday.

To avoid similar tragedies, some schools taught students how to prevent sexual abuse on the first day in school.

Han Shaolan, a teacher of a primary school in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, had some students wear swimsuits and explained the places the swimsuits cover should not be touched by others and the students should leave immediately if someone wants to touch them, according to Southern Metropolis Daily.

She also taught ways to seek assistance when a student is faced with sexual abuse.