#MeToo movement hits China

BEIJING:Former doctoral student Luo Qianqian was “amazed” that her sexual assault story went viral in China, inspiring other women to denounce rampant harassment on campuses and unleashing a #MeToo movement in the country despite censorship challenges.

Before she accused her professor of assaulting her, under the pretence of asking for help watering his plants, #MeToo had been slow to catch on in China.

Activists say efforts to unmask sexual abuse have faced government apathy or even resistance. This time however, Luo’s New Year’s Day post on the Twitterlike Weibo platform received three million views within hours.

Ten days later, Beijing’s Beihang University stripped computer scientist Chen Xiaowu of his position as vice-director of the graduate school after an investigation established he had sexually harassed multiple students.

The hashtags “Me too” and “Me too in China” quickly became trending topics on Weibo. But while Communist authorities have allowed the movement to emerge, they have done so within limits – as they often do with hot social issues – censoring some content as the topic spread on social media.

Collective action is risky in China, where courts have sentenced signatories of petitions calling for legal reform to years in jail.

But in a rare show of solidarity among intellectuals, more than 50 professors from over 30 colleges have signed an anti-sexual harassment manifesto.