Groping professor case shows why China’s universities need a sexual complaints system
- Victim’s online complaint prompted swift action, but social media is too often the only path students can take, activists say
Wang Guiyuan, 65, a literature professor at the prestigious Renmin University of China, was dismissed on Monday, less than 24 hours after one of his PhD students posted a video to social media platform Weibo detailing his behaviour.
The student’s video included audio recordings to back her allegations and was widely circulated online in China. The student alleged Wang had sexually and verbally abused her, and also threatened to prevent her from graduating.
Wang, a former deputy dean and party secretary of the university’s school of liberal arts, was also expelled from the Communist Party. Local police have said they are investigating the case.
Renmin University’s quick action was welcomed, but did not dispel doubts among those who believe that Chinese universities lack the mechanisms to prevent sexual harassment.
“I hope this incident will be a turning point that will change the atmosphere of sexual harassment in universities and society, and promote the establishment of a normal mechanism against sexual harassment,” said Lao Dongyan, a law professor at Tsinghua University.
