Three women in Tangshan were brutally assaulted outside of a restaurant by several men, and it is raising calls for action by feminists across China. The devastating incident comes amidst a growing wave of pressure from Chinese people to combat gender-based violence in the country. We cannot let this incident slip out of the public eye - we must demand Chinese legislators act now to codify protection for women, trans, and non-binary people into law!
Sign now to demand the National People's Congress pass legislation explicitly addressing gender-based violence!
The footage itself is gut-wrenching. The men in question approached the table of women, with one of them putting their hand on one woman's back. When the woman shook him off, rejecting his advances, she was immediately slapped by the man, and the attack began. The women were dragged outdoors, hit with chairs, and kicked. The violence in the video is shocking - and extremely difficult to watch.
Feminism in China is a complicated issue, meaning there is division over what happened in the incident and who should be held responsible. But clearly this violence was gendered. And given that there are only spotty and limited protections against domestic violence and sexual harassment in the country, there is still a chance of similar attacks in the future. This is why having laws in place to prevent these incidents, and properly deal with them when they do happen, is essential.
Many Chinese activists have been drawing attention to the fact that cis women, trans, and non-binary people in China are not safe from egregious acts of sexism and violence such as this one. But feminists have been dismissed in Chinese courts, sued, and even arrested for their role in shedding light on the crisis. Some state-owned media outlets have even gone so far as to call the #MeToo movement an attempt to weaken Chinese geopolitical strength from insidious foreign forces. The time is now for the National People's Congress to recognize these struggles and pass legislation which explicitly addresses gender-based violence! Sign the petition now if you agree!
