Central South University, located in Changsha, Hunan Province, recently released its Safety Manual for Campus Life, in which it detailed for freshmen students how, among other things, to avoid being the victim of "social rape." Once news of the manual hit the Web, the nature of its contents sparked a controversial debate over its treatment of the issue of rape.

The manual defines "social rape," a term first proposed by Beijing police in 2003, as rape that is committed by someone known to the victim, even if they had only just met.

In the safety manual, the university listed 10 kinds of women that are more likely to be exposed to social rape, including beautiful women who dress fashionably, women who are timid, frivolous, or pleasure-seeking, and mental loafers who despise the law.

It also gave suggestions on how to avoid social rape. "Be wise in giving your trust to new male friends and show your reluctance to any egregious behavior," the manual states.

Public reaction

"Don't you think it's more useful to address male students on the subject of rape and guide them to comply with the law?" one netizen commented  about the manual's content.

"We do need to address both men and women to prevent rape, but criminals are not necessarily always college students," Xiong Bingqi, associate dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute in Beijing, wrote in response to such opinions. "A substantial number of rapists are not students. Universities should teach female students about safety."

The term social rape is meant to highlight the fact that rape can occur when the attacker turns a normal social activity into an opportunity for sexual assault. The police hoped the term would encourage rape victims to come forward.

"Sixty percent of sexual assaults happen among acquaintances," said Wang Dawei, a dean at Chinese People's Public Security University who studies  criminal sociology. "According to statistics from Western countries, six out of seven victims of rape do not report it, out of shame or fear for their reputations." He added that while such statistics are available in most Western countries, they are very hard to find in China.

Michael Varnum, a Peking University postdoctoral fellow from the US who studies social psychology, said that the manual's content on rape is "essentially a catalog of rape myths."

"These suggestions reflect an outdated and unscientific understanding of a well-studied problem," he told the Global Times via e-mail. "The university's suggestions amount to little more than blaming the victim, a phenomenon that occurs when, in order to maintain the belief that the world is a just and fair place, people rationalize injustice by blaming victims."

Intentions and prevention

Luo Junfei, an associate dean at Central South University, said the manual was compiled to give newcomers information on issues ranging from food safety to electrical safety, and the social rape section was only part of the information provided for female students, which also included topics like avoiding fraud, and communicating with others.

"We remind girls to be on alert, not because most of them will be attacked. We warn passengers to buckle their seatbelts even though most of them will not be in an accident," he said. "We wrote this section to give women tools for defense. We think their safety is important enough to apply universal precautions in order to prevent danger to a small number."

According to Luo, the manual was created with the help of experts. He said that most freshmen have trouble adapting to independence, and this manual is meant to help them blend into society safely and smoothly. He added that the university has received positive feedback on its safety manual.

"Many parents appreciate and support our manual, because they worry about their children's safety when they are off at college," Luo said. "Since the manual covers many aspects of campus life, parents see our thoughtfulness and care in looking after their kids."

The Security Manual for Campus Life is a graphic pamphlet with cartoonish pictures, which its creators hoped would appeal to students. "It's an informative handbook, not an educational one," Luo said.

However, some experts maintain that the manual falls short of its goals.

In a recent blog post, Xiong, who is also a professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University, said that compared with former  efforts, this manual is an improvement. He also noted that rape often goes unreported.

"The university's published suggestions would be laughable, were it not for the fact that they are likely to do great harm to the student body," Varnum told the Global Times. "By placing the blame on women who are sexually assaulted, the university discourages the victims of sexual violence from seeking justice. This creates a climate of impunity that is likely to increase sexual violence against women on campus."