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

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

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

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

The hashtags “Me too” and “Me too in China” quickly became trending topicson Weibo, with many more people speaking about their assaults.

But while Communist authorities have allowed the movement to emerge, theyhave 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 sentencedsignatories of petitions calling for legal reform to years in jail forcrimes like “subversion”.

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

Amid the uproar, the education ministry said it had a “zero tolerance”policy and will establish a new mechanism to prevent sexual harassment.

“The ministry’s response was really a surprise, because it’s a commitmentfrom our country. I’m very glad my country is finally making this move,”Luo told AFP.

It was also a far cry from the harsh response in 2015, when Beijing policedetained five feminist campaigners planning to distribute leaflets againstdomestic violence, releasing them a month later.

Since then, women’s rights groups have been forced to suspend operationsand several feminist activists told AFP police have suggested they tonedown their activity.

There is no legal definition of sexual harassment in China and no nationalregulations on how to handle sexual assault cases in schools and workplaces.

Sexual harassment is a sensitive topic in China, where political leadershipis a man’s world with only one woman in the Communist Partylink>’s elite25-member Politburo.

Dozens of senior politicians netted in an ongoing anti-corruption campaignhave been accused of paying for sex or engaging in “power for sex” trades,and several officials have been convicted of raping underage girls.

“It is well documented that many Chinese officials treat women likeplaythings to use for pleasure,” human rights lawyer Guo Jianmeilink> told AFP.

“The whole fabric of Chinese society disadvantages women. It’s nearlyimpossible to sue about sexual harassment because courts have no frameworkon how to process cases.”

As the #MeToo movement gains momentum, authorities have begun to censoronline posts to ensure they don’t move in the “wrong” direction, observerssay.

In the past week, censors deleted hundreds of social media posts with thetag “Me too in China” and closed related topic forums.

“Determined users can still have discussions in new channels. That is whatI call ‘soft censorship’,” said Sandra Fu, who tracks Chinese internettrends at the US-based China Digital Times.

Some online petition signers have been called in for questioning, accordingto Chinese feminist activists.

“Students who signed my open letter on sexual harassment were questioned bytheir professors,” said Xiao Meili, who penned a letter to her alma mater,the Communication University of China.

“They were asked, ‘Why write to the school? What was the point?’ They alsoasked students whether they were influenced by foreign forces,” Xiao toldAFP.

Official state media often uses the term “foreign forces” to discreditcriticism. Beijing has long argued that human rights should be defined inChinese terms.

Yet state-run media has continued to report about the movement, with theGlobal Times newspaper running a piece last Friday titled, “The #MeTooHush-up” about harassment victims encountering censorship and threats.

While #MeToo has shaken artistic, media and political circles globally, inChina the discussion has focused on universities. Activists are pushing toextend the dialogue to the workplace, with training on how companies candeal with harassment.

Many people are too scared about losing their jobs to speak out, but #MeToohas made huge strides in raising awareness, said Zhang Yajun, a Beijingpodcast host.

“When I was young, I had no concept of sexual harassment so when a bossknocked on my hotel room in the middle of the night during a business trip,it didn’t occur to me to report to anyone,” she said.

“I definitely feel more optimistic now than last month because suddenlythis broad conversation is happening.” – Agencies