Hubei Women's Federation Trains Female School Officials on Protection of Girls

Hubei Women's Federation, in coordination with the local education authority, held a comprehensive training session on girls' protection on June 28.

Female deputy headmasters, directors of political education, head teachers and federation and education officials from 155 counties and cities across the province attended the training, which provided them with methods and techniques on girls' protection and family education.

They also visited a middle school in Qinchang Township, Jingshan County, to view a display highlighting their achievements in the protection of children and watch one of the school's classes on girls' education.

The move is part of the latest efforts by the local women's federation to implement the Guidelines on Improving the Work on Prevention Against Teenagers and Children from Sexual Assault.

The document, issued by the Ministry of Education and the All-China Women's Federation in September 2013, aimed to mobilize stakeholders including the education and public security authority, youth leagues and women's federations as well as parents to play their due obligations and come together to prevent sexual assault against children and teenagers.

The Hubei Women's Federation has recently made further efforts to implement the guidelines. In joint response with the education bureau and the Provincial Committee on Women and Children's Work, it issued a document urging all kindergartens and primary and middle schools to act to promote the healthy growth of minors.

It asked every kindergarten, primary and middle school to appoint a senior-level female official such as a female headmaster, deputy headmaster or director of political education.

These officials should be selected from teachers that have related work experience and possess psychological and educational knowledge. Their responsibilities should include helping the school improve child safety education systems, especially the safety of girls; urging schools to set up or improve safety protection groups; draft girls' safety education and teaching plans; and report any uncertain factors or cases that harm girls' psychical and psychological safety.

It also required for every kindergarten, primary and middle school to open a girls' classroom to deliver lectures on girls' safety and protection knowledge, every semester, to female students and their guardians respectively.

In a bid to popularize knowledge among guardians of "left-behind" girls, the local women's federation will also reach out to communities to hold lectures on family education. It will also build up a network that effectively connects schools, families and communities and implements the timely reporting of sexual assault cases.

Psychological counseling and related help to families will be provided immediately to the victims once a case has been reported. The education authority and schools are also required to consider requests for transfers to other schools by victims' families. Further, harsh punishments will be given to sex offenders.

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)