An official has proposed giving self-defense courses at primary and middle schools in Guangdong province to reduce sexual assaults on girls, according to Southern Daily.

Yang Shiqiang, director of the rights department at the Guangdong Women's Federation, said on Monday that more girls had told the federation they were victims of rape and sexual assaults last year, the newspaper reported.

The federation suggested in a report that girls should take defense courses once or twice each semester in primary and middle schools.

Yang said if schools increased sex education for girls and offered special training to teachers in kindergartens and primary schools, the number of such cases may drop.