Chinese school buzz: Teaching girls how to avoid sexual harassment – ‘Don’t wear provocative clothes’

China’s People’s Daily reported that the school, located in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, held a “mental health education” class last year, which is the equivalent of sex education in China.

But images of the educational material only started to appear this month.

In the article, which is given to students, according to CNNthey seem to write that victims of sexual harassment “suffer because they dress provocatively and flirt.”

She added, “Girls should not wear transparent or provocative clothing and frivolous behavior should be avoided.”

The images sparked outrage and disbelief on social media, with many blaming conservative attitudes they said reflected gender inequality rooted in a patriarchal society.

“This class’s teacher is in trouble,” a Weibo user wrote, and his comment got 19,000 likes.

Others pointed out the dangers of victim profiling and the ways in which women are often targeted, no matter what clothes they wear.

The protests prompted local education authorities to issue a statement last week confirming that the images online were real.

“The lecture included some inappropriate expressions,” the statement said, pointing to a “misunderstanding.”

It was added that the staff had now been trained and the school had been ordered to change its strategy.