'Fairy Tale King' calls for child molestation class

A well-known writer and child education expert suggested primary schools in China start the school year with a lesson on how to prevent child molestations, after a string of molestation cases in schools were exposed across the country this year.

Zheng Yuanjie, dubbed the Chinese "King of Fairy Tales," recommended that the Ministry of Education and China Central Television give students their "first lesson" on child sex abuse and initiated a survey on whether to open the lesson through his Sina Weibo two weeks before the new school term.

Zheng's proposal was widely supported by Weibo users as nearly 11,500 people, 96.8 percent of those who participated in the survey, agreed with his suggestion for a lesson on child sex abuse.

The lesson can help children protect themselves, Zheng said in his blog. He also mentioned that his lecture on child molestation at Beijing Shijia primary school in 2011 was well-received.

Most young parents are in favor of Zheng's suggestion. "It is essential to start the school year with a lesson on child molestation. I have always taught my daughter how to identify 'bad people' in daily life," said a mother of a kindergarten girl.

But some scholars are more concerned about the negative side of such a lesson. Wan Jianzhong, a Beijing CPPCC member and director of the Institute of Folklore and Cultural Anthropology in Beijing Normal University, worried that the lesson, if it comes too early, may become a psychological burden for young students.

Zheng's recommendation for child molestation lessons may not happen easily, as CCTV responded it was too late to change their programs for the "first lesson of the first school day".

Education on child molestation prevention in China is far from enough compared with Western countries. In the United States, children receive six stages of education on how to prevent molestation, starting early and continuing until they reach 18.

Related news on child molestation:

Former lawmaker detained for child molestation

Headmasters sacked over child molestation scandal

Local legislator detained for molesting girls

Molesters don't deserve leniency

Molestation scandals prompt kids protection

Nation's high court vows no mercy for child molesters