A victim speaks out about unwanted sexual advances

Zhang Lin (not his real name) says he was the victim of sexual harassment, an often taboo topic that is rarely discussed when it happens to women in China and kept virtually silent when it happens to men. Breaking the silence, Zhang has come forward to say it happened to him.

After joining a company in 2008, Zhang said his 40-year-old boss starting coming on to him. The harassment continued for six months until Zhang could no longer withstand it and left. The 25-year-old returned to his hometown in Heilongjiang province for a while. A few months ago, he came back to Beijing to look for a new job. Still visibly confused about his experience, Zhang sat down with METRO to discuss what happened and how he is trying to move forward.

Q: When did the sexual harassment begin?