Violence Against Women: The China Restaurant Attack

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I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve felt outraged on hearing of yet another woman being attacked solely on account of her gender. However, each time I hear of ‘another’ incident, I resolve to do something about it and yet nothing happens. Will venting on my blog about this new incident in north-eastern China help anyone? Most probably not, but I can’t help myself and so please bear with me. 

Three women share a meal at a restaurant in a restaurant in the Chinese city of Tangshan, which lies 180 kilometres to the east of Beijing. A random stranger (incidentally a “man”) walks up to them and seems to have a quick word with one of the women and also places his hand on her back. The woman pushes him away. The man strikes her immediately. His companions drag the woman outside and beat her up. Her companions are also brutally assaulted. You can watch the horrible video here.

Why did that man attack that woman? I don’t know. Was he annoyed that she was an independent woman who seemed to be managing well, without a husband or a father to chaperone her or to ‘protect’ her? Was he annoyed that she had enough money to enjoy a meal on her own? I don’t know. But I do know that this isn’t the first incident of this kind and it wont be the last. It doesn’t appear to be a very posh restaurant, but patriarchy doesn’t need much to feel insecure or to be triggered. 

We’ve come a long way, but we have a long, long way to go.


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