Perpetrators of sexual assaults in prison must be duly punished

A gavel in a court. [Photo/IC]

A minor in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, recently told the media that he was sexually assaulted in prison last year. A policeman responded by saying this is normal and the minor shouldn't mention it again. Beijing News commented:

The truth of the incident is under investigation. However, the incident reveals a problem, namely same-gender sexual assaults in prison. Such occurrences have long been known to the police and the judiciary departments, but it remains a taboo in society.

In order to build rule of law, we need to break the taboos and ensure there are legal solutions to such hidden problems. If sexual assaults in prison remain a taboo subject for discussion, the victims will continue to feel ashamed even after they are sexually violated and suffer more, instead of seeking justice.

Last September, an amendment to the Criminal Law was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature. It clearly defines sexual violation of males as a crime, which is expected to better protect men from sexual assaults.

Before that, Zhang Datong, a middle school teacher in Shanghai municipality, was found to have sexually violated male middle school students for 20 years but was not found guilty of committing any crime. Now the amendment has come into effect and if the minor is confirmed to have suffered from sexual assaults, the perpetrators should be held responsible.

If the prison officers knew of the assaults but failed to curb them, they should be held accountable for neglecting their duty. If they intentionally put the teenager into a cell to be exploited, they should be sued as accomplices.

When males are sexually assaulted, they suffer psychological and physical wounds, too, and that's why the 2015 amendment to the law is to be applauded.

More importantly, society needs to be more tolerant of victims of sexual assaults. They are the victims of violent crimes.