Heavier penalty needed to deter molesters

A man nearly slit the throat of a woman on a bus during the morning rush hour on Monday in Beijing's Tongzhou district after the latter slapped him for "touching her inappropriately". The incident was just one of the many cases of sexual harassment in recent times, which have seriously hurt the victims' legal rights and interests, shaken the people's sense of security, and broken the normal social order.

The horrifying knife attack comes amid a special police drive against molesters plaguing the public transportation network during the summer. Sexual harassment cases increase during the summer because, as many say, women tend to dress light in the summer months. A People's Daily report says 20 men suspected of groping or making unwanted sexual advances on women in the capital's subway have been detained during the campaign that was launched on June 16.

However, the 20 suspects may be just a fraction of the total number of sexual offenders in Beijing, as many of the cases are not reported to police. The difficulty in collecting evidence against the suspects and some victims' reluctance to report sexual harassment, partly out of social taboo, embolden the molesters.