Sexual violence against women and children in Chinese societies.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the reported patterns of sexual violence against women and children in China. It reviews the prevalence of and risk factors for various types of sexual violence and discusses community knowledge and perceptions of these violent acts. It also critically examines three major problems of sexual violence research in China. First, the diversity of findings and study methods reported by surveys and criminal reports reflects the problems in obtaining accurate figures on the scope of the problem. Second, precautions must be taken in reading studies on Chinese culture-specific risk factors for domestic violence. Third, the study of culture-specific factors should not focus solely on cultural factors in a vacuum but rather, should examine traditional culture in the context of modern societies and consensus international standards of human rights. Recommendations for future research are also discussed.
Ko Ling Chan
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. eklchan@hkucc.hku.hk
D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000208:ethnology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012938:Social Perception; D012945:Social Values; D016387:Women's Health / Q000208:ethnology*