Authorities and experts in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, are calling for more
attention to the sexual needs of migrant workers due to an increase
in the number of rape cases.
In one case, a 33-year-old married migrant worker was sentenced
to 20 years in prison last week by the city's Jiangning District
People's Court for raping four women.
Luo Shuang, from a village outside the district, was quoted by
local newspaper Nanjing Daily as saying that he felt pained
by his sexual frustration and regretted the crimes he conducted.
Luo even asked judges to give him the death penalty out of
shame.
"Luo is a typical example of how a migrant worker can go off the
rails due to sexual frustration. This tragedy definitely deserves
widespread attention, because it keeps happening again and again,"
said Yin Jinfu, vice dean of the Public Prosecution Department of
the Nanjing Municipal Procuratorial Department.
Statistics from procuratorial bureaus in four major districts in
Nanjing showed 78 cases of rape were reported involving migrant
workers between 2004 and 2005, accounting for 48 percent of all
rape cases in the districts in the period.
The youngest migrant worker rapist was only 16, while the
majority were aged around 25.
Rape by migrant workers has been on the rise in recent years,
according to He Gai, head of the Publicity Department of the
People's Procuratorial Bureau in Jiangning District.
"Now is the time for society to work together and put a stop to
this repeating crime," he said.
Nanjing has a reported 1 million long-term migrant workers, and
a survey conducted by students from a local university this May
showed that most migrant workers described their lack of sex while
working in the city as "unbearable."
Wu Yiming, dean of the Sociology Department of Nanjing Normal
University, said ignoring the sexual needs of migrant workers, most
of whom are male, will lead to physical and psychological
problems.
"Migrant workers are first and foremost human beings with normal
sexual needs. Society cannot ask them to adhere to laws and
regulations while suppressing and ignoring their natural demands,"
said Wu.
Wu warned that sexual frustration might lead to social problems
such as rape and prostitution.
Wu suggests that the government should prompt factories to give
migrant workers regular paid holidays to return home and allow
spouses to visit. Employers and authorities should also help and
encourage workers to enjoy a more healthy existence outside of
work.
Yin and He both added that to reduce sexual crimes by migrant
workers, local governments needed to improve workers' sense of the
law and create conditions for them to lead a normal life.
A good example of how to tackle this problem can be found in
Nanjing's Xiaguan District. With large numbers of migrant workers
from Anhui and Henan provinces, the district has built dozens
of low-rent "love nests" that migrants can rent for 300 (US$37.5)
yuan per month when their spouses come to visit.
"The house gives me much hope," said a construction worker
surnamed Wu. "When the summer holiday begins, my wife and daughter
can come and live with me for two months. It makes me happy to
reunite my family in this city."
(China Daily July 31, 2006)