Two women bargain with an unlicensed taxi driver outside a bus station in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Photo: CFP

Zhang Linlin, 23, was a senior at Henan University in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. At the start of every academic year, Zhang would call her family in nearby Guxing township to say she had safely arrived on campus.

This year, however, she didn't make that call.

Reports said she was last seen hailing an unlicensed taxi (aka black cab) last Tuesday on her way to attend the fall semester's first day of classes.

On Saturday night, local police found Zhang's body in a fish pond. A 58-year-old unlicensed taxi driver was later detained and confessed to the murder and an attempted rape, the Henan Daily reported. The case is still under investigation.

Zhang is the latest victim in a series of similar attacks on young women by drivers of unlicensed taxis over the past month.

The cases have sparked concern over women's safety and whether they signal an endemic increase in violence against females in China. 

Without a trace

The public is on high alert after a string of seven copycat assaults on lone female travelers have been reported since August.

On the afternoon of August 9, Gao Yu, a 20-year-old student at the Chongqing University of Post and Telecommunications, was waiting for her ride to arrive and take her downtown. Her family had sent a friend, whom she had never met, to pick her up. Instead, she mistakenly got into an unlicensed taxi that fit the same description. Realizing the error, Gao called her family, but reassured them she was fine and approaching her destination. She never arrived.

Eleven days later, police apprehended the driver, Pu Zhengfu, around 800 kilometers south in Yunnan Province. He later confessed to killing Gao.

Only two days after Gao Yu disappeared, another 19-year-old female student from Jiangsu Province, Gao Qiuxi, was reported missing on her way from home from university. Her body was found on August 12.

In another extreme case, a 22-year-old college student from Shandong Province, surnamed Jin, hired a unlicensed taxi for 30 yuan ($5) to get to a train station. Instead, the driver reportedly abducted Jin and forced her into sexual slavery for four days.

Fortunately, Jin was rescued after she managed to send a distress text message to a friend on the driver's cell phone.

In reaction to these heinous crimes, The Ministry of Public Security posted a list of taxi safety dos and don'ts on its official Sina Weibo account on August 28.

The ministry warned young women not to take unlicensed taxis or carpool with strangers. It also advised to always sit in the back seat, take note of license plates, observe the route and leave the windows open when riding at night.

Blame game 

The public was quick to blame the incomplete and often chaotic policing of illegal cabs by local authorities.

The Chaoyang district procuratorate in Beijing has seen 47 cases of assault of women by unlicensed taxi drivers from 2011 to 2013, The Beijing News reported on Friday. 

Despite numerous crackdowns on illegal taxis in China over the years, the issue still persists.

Shortages of licensed taxis and limited public transportation could be part of the problem, Shandong-based Qilu Evening News reported on August 28. Local residents said although they are aware of the dangers of taking black cabs, there are often no other options, said the report.  

Wang Zhongwu, a professor of social sciences at Shandong University, said that traffic police departments and transportation management authorities should join forces in cracking down on illegal taxis and hand out tougher penalties.

Under the current Chinese Law, operating an illegal taxi is punishable with a fine and up to five years in prison.

Wang added an increase in legal and public transportation options need be provided in order to cut public demand for illegal taxis.

Besides the risks, much discussion has been raised over the lack of safety awareness among young women. 

Li Meijin, a criminal psychology professor at the Chinese People's Public Security University, told the Central China Television on August 28 that self-defense skills should be taught in primary school to help students better avoid dangerous situations. 

Gender issues

On Thursday, the Shanghai-based Xinmin Weekly blamed the gender imbalance in China as a source of the issue. According to the country's family planning authorities' report released in 2012, China was home to 6.13 million men unable to find a partner as there are simply not enough single women.

The Xinmin Weekly article pointed out that the large number of "leftover men," mainly from rural areas, is a source of social instability. China has witnessed its crime rate double over the past two decades, a result of the gender imbalance, the magazine said, adding that a large portion of the cases involved rape and prostitution targeting women and children.

Along with safety concerns, the increased number of high-profile cases about violence against women may have misconstrued public opinion about such crimes in China, xinhuanet.com reported on Wednesday.

While the trend is a source of concern, the report pointed out that women are "not more likely to be the victim of violent crime."

According to the latest data from the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, 78.1 percent of homicide victims in China are male.

While raising public awareness is important, there is no need to fear, xinhuanet.com reported.

The news outlet urged media to report on the government's continued efforts to crack down on illegal cabs as a way to better protect the public.

A commentary on Hunan-based rednet.cn also asked media to stop labeling young females as a "vulnerable group" that is at higher risk of suffering an violent attack than males.