Calls in China for mandatory relationship courses after wave of domestic violence targeting young women

Young Chinese people often start exploring sex and relationships after secondary school because of the all-consuming hyper-competitive education environment

A Chinese lawmaker has suggested universities teach mandatory marriage and relationship classes after a series of high-profile tragedies in the past 18 months

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

A string of well publicised cases of domestic violence has some asking how to better educate China’s young people about relationships. Photo: Getty

Qin Chen

Published: 3:40pm, 9 Mar 2021Updated: 3:40pm, 9 Mar 2021

University is a place where people often find their career, find their passion and, in many cases, find love.

But a series of incidents of domestic violence against women has led many in China to seek solutions.

In November 2020, in the southwestern province of Sichuan, a female student at Sichuan University Jinjiang College was killed by her boyfriend during a fight. He took his own life afterwards.

A month later, also in Sichuan, a man murdered his 19-year-old girlfriend who attended Leshan Vocational and Technical College.

A growing awareness of the violence many young women face in relationships in China has led to proposals for mandatory relationship courses. Photo: Getty

In October 2019, a female student from the prestigious Peking University in Beijing committed suicide after her boyfriend had repeatedly degraded her because she had had sex when they first met. In China, virginity is still often considered a virtue for young women.