SOMEONE TO TALK TO
Xiao Yun is a survivor-turned-campaigner with Girls' Protection. She was sexually abused by her neighbor when she was eight years old.
"There is hardly anyone for victim to turn to. The security net around children is far too porous," she said.
"After a lecture at a school, I received a text message from a girl who said she had a sexual experience against her will, but when I called her back, her phone was dead," she said.
According to the People's Public Security University of China, for every report of sexual abuse there may be at least seven unreported incidents.
"There may be thousands more victims too scared to tell," she said, "they need to know that there is counseling offered by schools and hospitals."
Ye Qian, a psychologist in Beijing said many underage victims still bear the scars of abuse in adulthood.
"Sexual abuse may affect mental wellbeing, causing irreversible harm," she said.
"The victims should speak out, ask for help, and seek justice," Ye said, adding that it was "the responsibility of parents, schools, hospitals, police and communities to offer safe environments for this."
LEGISLATION REQUIRED
Many believe that the compensation awarded to the underage victims of sexual abuse does not reflect the severity of the crime.
A kindergarten student in northeast China's Jilin Province was awarded just 1,000 yuan in damages after the court threw out the psychological damage claims filed by the victim's family. The child's abuser was the husband of the owner of the kindergarten.
In China, only females can be victims of rape, and those found guilty of assaults of this kind against boys usually receive light sentences.
"If a boy is raped, the offender faces a maximum five-year sentence as they are convicted under the crime of obscenity. If the victim is a girl, and the damage is severe, the abuser could get death," said Li Ying, a Beijing-based lawyer.
Of the 340 reported sexual assault cases in 2015, at least 20 involved boys, around 60 individuals.
"Boys and girls must have better legal protection," Li said.
