First educator tried under new juvenile protection guideline

A Beijing teacher was sentenced to prison term for child molestation on Tuesday, and banned from working in education, according to a city court.

The Haidian District People's Court announced the conviction, the sentence and the ban, saying in the ruling that the teacher, who is surnamed Wang, had molested a 10-year-old girl on multiple occasions during one-on-one classes.

The girl's parents reported Wang to police in March, and he was later detained, the court said.

It did not disclose any further information about the case, including the length of the prison term.

It was the first case to be tried under a new guideline on those working in the educational sector who commit violent crimes against children, including sexual assault, abuse, abduction or trafficking.

The 10-article guideline was issued by the country's top judicial authorities — the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate — as well as the Ministry of Education on Friday and entered effect on Tuesday.

It seeks to strengthen the protection of juveniles, and remove offending individuals from the educational sector. Educators convicted of crimes of a violent or sexual nature against children will be banned from the sector for life.

"Children are future of their families and of the country, so it's essential to create a sound environment for them to grow up," the court said after announcing the ruling, stressing that people engaged in education should set an example through good ideological and moral behavior.

"Wang was in serious breach of morals and his behavior disturbed the normal teaching order, so he deserves harsh punishment," it said.

To cleanse the environment for children's growth and prevent abusers from harming them again after they are released, the court stated that it had issued its ban against Wang for life.