Child sexual abuse in China: new study

Cultural, family and institutional factors are creating serious barriers to the reporting and addressing of child sexual abuse in China, according to a new study from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

The study is based on 258 anonymous online posts of victims, selected for authenticity and detail  from 5430 posts between 26 December 2016 and 20 February 2023.

They were sourced from an online Chinese platform Zhihu (a Chinese version of Reddit), where young people share a range of personal experiences in their lives.

Led by social work PhD student Tian Tian, the study explores the difficulties child abuse victims encounter, particularly in recognising that what happened to them is abuse, and then in getting their families to believe them.

Tian says surveying thousands of posts online was a good way to examine the topic since child sexual abuse victims would otherwise have been very difficult to reach due to the extreme sensitivity of the issue and their fears of being identified.

“According to approximately a quarter of the posts we read, victims were initially unaware of their abuse, which reflects a widespread lack of basic knowledge and self-protection skills among Chinese children,” says Tian.

“Negative reactions from families after being told about abuse also put victims off from further disclosure and reinforced their fears, creating a major barrier and a way for abusers to remain undetected,” she says.
 

Tian notes that most posts, in common with other countries, suggest the majority of abusers were male, and 88 percent were known to the victim; if not the immediate family or relatives, as family acquaintances. Victims were aged from as young as three when the abuse happened to 18.

“The victim is often told not to tell anyone or fear the consequences; these are issues of power, control and intimidation that are not particular to China.”

Tian says judging by the posts, it’s also very common in China to believe that family members are unlikely to harm children, and this trust is often extended to relatives, friends and teachers, which can be an issue when it comes to potential abusers having access to victims.

She believes long-term efforts are also required to alter traditional value systems, so child protection is prioritised over maintaining adult relationships, which can protect abusers.

Lack of access to sex education and the absence of a robust child protection system in China are also key problems at the preventative end, says Tian.

“Our study found there’s an urgent need to integrate comprehensive child sexual abuse prevention education into primary and secondary school curricula and extend education efforts to parents.”
 

The research also indicated that very few cases were reported to the police, with only one percent (four cases) mentioned in all posts. And while child protection policies, such as the 2020 Mandatory Reporting Policy, do exist in China, their effectiveness in improving the number of cases reported remains unevaluated, says Tian.'

“It’s essential to have more trained professionals in the field, which would help the crucial process of timely and confidential reporting.”

While she realises changing long-held attitudes will be tough and won’t happen overnight, she believes the study offers valuable insights into the barriers Chinese child sexual abuse victims face.

"It also highlights the need for more effective prevention and intervention strategies tailored to the unique social, cultural, and institutional context of China," says Tian.

Led by two professors in the University of New South Wales, the wider study connected to this research is supported by the Chinese government and a report summarising key findings has already been submitted.

“As a researcher in this field, I’m glad to see that in China, there have been substantial and continuing changes in child protection policies from around 2010, and that the government seems to be open to further improvement,” says Tian.

“I hope this study will be read, not only by government officials, but by a broader audience and will enhance public awareness.”

Available in English and Mandarin, the study fills a gap in China’s research on this topic and she feels it’s the right time to draw more attention to this crucial issue.

Unveiling Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure in China: An Ecological Exploration of Survivors’ Experiences by Tian Tian, Ilan Katz and Xiaoyuan Shang was published in June 2024 in Children, an international, online journal on children’s health published monthly by MDPI.