Sexual attacks against minors have aroused public indignation across the country. But to prevent such attacks, we have to find out the real reason for the rise in such heinous acts, says an article on the website of Guangming Daily. Excerpts:

Three drug addicts in Shandong province have been accused of forcing an eighth grade female student to have sex with them. Investigations have not thrown up any evidence to suggest that the suspects acted against the girl's will and, hence, the three accused will not be charged with raping the girl.

But media reports say that since the local residents have refused to accept the investigation results because they are well aware that many young men have been cajoling middle-school girl students to have sex.

To prevent such incidents, we have to dig deeper into the causes. There is little doubt that sexual education is lacking in schools. Students have to be imparted not just the basic knowledge about sex but also the values of life and how to deal with potential dangers in society. Considering that tricking teenage girls into having sex has been going on for years, schools should make more efforts to teach adolescents how to protect themselves against sexual attacks.

Families play a critical role in such situations. But sadly, some of the victims did not tell their parents about the sexual assaults, which emboldened the perpetrators. Parents and schools, in fact, society as a whole, should rise up to the challenge and teach children how to protect themselves against sexual attacks and, in the worst of cases, to be able to provide evidence to nail the culprits.

The Chinese law stipulates severe punishment for sex offenders, especially those targeting minors. But corrupt and lenient government officials (and in some cases judicial officials) could still let the culprits go scot-free. Therefore, there is need to strictly enforcement the law.

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