Beijing woman wins 5000 yuan and written apology after court rules former manager sexually harassed her. January ruling upheld on appeal is rare.
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Chinese Woman Wins Rare Workplace Sexual Harassment Case, Says She Defended Her Dignity
A woman in China has won an uncommon legal victory in a workplace sexual harassment case after a court ruled that her former manager had harassed her.
The woman, who previously worked as an intern and later an employee at Beijing Grassland Alliance, an environmental NGO, was awarded 5,000 yuan in emotional damages. The court also ordered her former manager to issue a written apology.
The ruling is significant because successful workplace sexual harassment claims remain rare in China. Although the country’s MeToo movement once sparked widespread discussion online, public debate was quickly restricted, and related hashtags were censored.
The original ruling was made in January and was upheld on appeal last week.
The woman, who uses the nickname Xiong to protect her privacy, said the result was beyond what she had expected. She said she felt she had finally protected her personal dignity.
Xiong joined Beijing Grassland Alliance as an intern in early 2022 while studying in Fujian province. Soon after starting the role, she said her manager, who was about ten years older than her, began behaving inappropriately toward her.
According to evidence submitted in court, the manager made comments about her body, held her hand, and sent messages with sexual undertones. In some messages, he expressed personal affection toward her and asked her to think about him more.
Xiong later wrote about her experience in an essay posted on WeChat. She said that at first, she did not clearly recognize the behavior as sexual harassment. The situation felt confusing because others treated the comments lightly, while she felt embarrassed and uncomfortable.
She also said that when she tried to speak to people in her industry, her concerns were dismissed. She later felt more understood after discussing the situation with DeepSeek, a Chinese AI chatbot.
Xiong left the NGO in 2024 and filed a lawsuit against her former manager last year.
Beijing Grassland Alliance did not respond to media requests for comment, and the former manager could not be contacted.
Since 2021, victims of sexual harassment in China have had the legal right to sue individuals and companies for civil liability. However, such cases remain uncommon.
Legal experts say more victims have begun taking action in recent years due to the influence of the MeToo movement and changes in Chinese law. Still, successful lawsuits are not common, partly because many women face cultural and social pressure that makes it difficult to speak publicly about harassment.
China’s MeToo discussion gained momentum after global attention on sexual misconduct cases in 2017. Many women in China shared their own experiences online, but a number of posts were later censored.
One of the most widely known Chinese MeToo cases involved Zhou Xiaoxuan, also known as Xianzi, who accused a famous CCTV presenter of forcibly kissing and groping her. Her case drew national attention, but she later lost in court due to insufficient evidence.
Another high-profile case involved tennis player Peng Shuai, who disappeared from public view after accusing former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into sex. She later reappeared and said her post had been misunderstood.
Xiong’s case was successful partly because she presented WeChat conversations involving colleagues and her former manager. Some of the messages included apologies from the manager for making her feel uncomfortable. He argued in court that the apologies were intended to maintain a professional relationship, not to admit wrongdoing.
The court also recognized the importance of workplace power dynamics. The judgment stated that a team leader’s behavior can have a stronger impact on employees than that of ordinary colleagues.
The court added that people in leadership positions should be especially careful with their words and actions, and should fully respect the dignity of female employees.
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