Harsher penalties are needed to combat sexual predators who target females using public transportation, especially in summer

A man nearly slit the throat of a woman on a bus during the morning rush hour on July 17 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 that 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 wear less 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, which 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 because of social taboo, embolden the molesters.

The authorities are obliged to make the public environment safer by, among other things, stemming the increasing threat to public security. It is therefore laudable that Shenzhen in Guangdong province has started designating women-only cars on its subway during weekday rush hours. But the authorities should also increase the punishment for sexual harassment to deter potential molesters.

The maximum punishment for even a confirmed molester is 10 days detention and a fine of 500 yuan ($74; 63 euros; ￡57), according to the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests, which has remained unchanged since it was drafted in 2005. So legislators need to revise the law and impose heavier penalties on molesters.

Perhaps there is need to put the names of confirmed molesters on a "blacklist", making it more difficult for them to get social welfare benefits and public services.

Also, offenders who are part of organized molesting groups should be punished according to the Criminal Law, instead of the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests or public security regulations. It is also important to encourage women to fight back.

According to police, many molesters have confessed they may retreat once a woman gives them a stare. And women using public transportation should come to their fellow passengers' aid.

It is heartening to see more women, especially the younger generation in cities, fighting back against molesters by making use of new media to expose the offenders and reporting to police.

On their part, the authorities should install more closed-circuit cameras in crowded public places, especially buses and subways.

The author is a columnist for Legal Daily, where the article was first published on July 18. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily European Weekly 07/28/2017 page13)