Chinese are perceived by Westerners as humble people. (Photo : Getty Images)
Schools are shunning from having anti-abuse lessons in their campus which results in the number of sexual violence victims in China going up. A report hinted that even university students are the targets of loan sharks which exposes them to potential sexual harassment.
Southern Metropolis Daily reported that the loan sharks are requiring nude photos of borrowers as collateral to ensure that they pay their loans. If the students renege or are delayed in payments with interest, the loan sharks would make public their naked pictures.
As a result, several students, together with their parents, went to the police for assistance because the loan sharks threatened to publish their au naturel images online or would commit sexual violence on them.
The loan sharks are web-based and often operate through online chat groups frequented by students, reported AAP. However, when the Guangzhou-based daily published the story, the loan sharks suspended asking for nude pictures.
Besides the nude photos, the lenders also required them to give photocopies of their identity cards, student cards and family data prior to releasing their loans. Some students complied with the stringent requirements, in addition to agreeing to an interest rate of over 30 percent per annum for loans ranging from several hundred to thousands of yuan, depending on the documents and photos they present as collateral.
A Beijing-based lawyer, Zhang Xinnian, reminded the students that if their nude photos are published, it would be against the law since it breaches their personal privacy. He reminded them to seek the help of police and the courts if the loan sharks threaten them.
