Ministry reiterates crackdown on teachers' sexual assaults in China

Education authorities said Friday that they remain determined to punish teachers who sexually abuse their students following multiple reports of such incidents. The Ministry of Education will investigate and punish teachers whose acts are unprofessional or that constitute crimes. Multiple media reports about teachers molesting or raping students have been published recently. A 62-year-old primary school teacher was detained by police last month for molesting seven girls and infecting them with venereal diseases, according to media reports. In May, a primary school headmaster and a government employee in the city of Wanning in south China's Hainan Province were detained by police for allegedly sexually assaulting six female students. On June 25, a school principal was sentenced to 18 years for raping and molesting girls in Qianshan County in east China's Anhui Province. The ministry said it will cooperate with police to remove abusive teachers from schools, adding that education authorities and schools will be held responsible if sexual assaults occur due to failures to properly screen and monitor teachers.