A university in China was slammed recently as it reopens its physical classes for the new academic year after restricting dress code for female students to avoid “creating temptation.”
Guangxi University on August 1 released a safety guide for freshmen ladies that suggested that they are responsible for sexual harassment and assault because of what they wear.
“Don’t wear overly revealing tops or skirts. Don’t wear low-cut dresses or expose your waist or back, to avoid creating temptation,” the guide said, adding that it also recommended female pupils to avoid high heels.
For the longest time, traditional attitudes deem women being harassed as asking for it because they wear revealing clothes and behave in a certain wear. Many women even claim they believe they will not being taken seriously if they report a harassment experience.
However, such cultural norms are slowly being challenged, with the recent legislation enacted by the country’s parliament which defined—for the first time—what constituted sexual harassment. The said law also holds schools and organizations responsible for preventing sexual harassment and assault.
In a report by Reuters, one of the students said that schools should educate male students to respect women and not tell the latter to mind what they wear.
“It’s going in the wrong direction. Shouldn’t a school educate male students to respect women, no matter what she wears or if she is alone? Instead of asking the victims to review themselves,” she said.
