Singer Meng Ge (L) walks into court ahead of a verdict hearing for her son in Beijing, Sept. 26, 2013. (Photo : REUTERS)
The Chinese public rejoiced as two men were sentenced with rape charges for engaging with sexual activities with a 13-year-old girl.
The public rejoiced that the two would get the punishment allotted for rapists instead of giving them the chance to serve a lesser sentence associated with the crime of soliciting underage girls or soliciting prostitutes under the age of 14.
Many Chinese people find the crime of soliciting underage girls, or soliciting prostitutes under the age of 14, distasteful ever since it was included in China's Criminal Law in 1997, many of whom are calling for its abolition up to today.
Protesters claim that the law gives sex offenders the chance to serve a lesser sentence even if they sexually abuse young, minor girls. Many offenders use it to dodge rape, which means serving three years up to death penalty.
When one is served with the crime of soliciting underage girls, the sentence can only go for as high as a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Protesters also believe that categorizing the minor victims as "prostitutes" is demeaning and degrading to the sexually offended. It is also more harmful than protective to the children.
The distaste for the law was so rampant and deep that even the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said in 2013 that it must be abolished.
In the recent years, however, the increasing rates of sexual offenses against minors showed that there must be stricter and tougher clampdown on such cases. Adjustments to the controversial law must also be made.
