Subverting tradition

Zhang Xuemei, executive director of the Beijing Youth Legal Aid and Research Center, said a survey conducted several years ago showed that most sexual assaults on minors are committed by people known to the child, such as neighbors and family members.

However, teachers accounted for a high proportion of cases. Yao said the notion that a teacher would sexually assault a student is particularly shocking, not just because the act is repugnant, but also because it subverts the traditional Chinese view of teachers.

"Because teachers take the responsibility of educating and nurturing children, people respect and obey them, just as they do their parents. This sort of thinking sees teachers as perfect, particularly in terms of morality," he said. "That's why people are extremely shocked and angry when incidents such as these come to light."

According to Yao, children, particularly those age 16 and younger, are more likely to be harmed by a teacher's inappropriate behavior. That's because they see their teachers for long periods every day, probably spending even longer with them than with their parents.

"In that sense, if the teachers are not reliable, the students may be exposed to greater risk," Yao said.

Xi, from the Beijing Youth Social Work Research Institute, said sexual assault causes great harm to children's physical and mental health.

"Because teachers are among the groups that children believe in most and feel closest to, being abused by a teacher may result in a child being unable to trust anybody. This could undermine their integration into society and their interactions with other people," she said.

Stricter controls urged

The recent cases have also triggered heated discussions about the recruitment and management of teachers.

In addition to a prison sentence, the teacher who committed the assault in Shanghai was banned from working in the education sector for at least three years following his release from jail.

Some netizens described the teacher's actions as "unbearable" and "unforgivable". They argued that the three-year suspension was not long enough and said teachers who sexually assault children should be barred from the profession for life.

In reality, it is difficult to keep degenerate or immoral people away from the education system, according to Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences.

"Although public schools can easily reject teaching staff whose moral flaws are on record, some private establishments or tutoring agencies may hire them without conducting background checks," he said.

Yao said some countries have passed laws that permanently ban teachers from the profession if they are convicted of sexually assaulting a minor.

He urged the Chinese government to follow suit, but conceded that the legislation may take some time to frame.

In light of that, he suggested that schools should strengthen the management of teachers. Job candidates should be selected carefully and a range of scientific methods, such as psychological tests, should be used to unearth any abnormal behavior at an early stage. Schools should also keep a record of their teachers' behavior at work.

"In addition, drafting a series of rules to regulate teachers' on-campus behavior would make a difference," he said, adding that many educational institutes, including his own, forbid teachers, male and female, from conducting one-on-one tuition with students. However, if that is not possible, the classroom door should be kept open permanently during the lesson.