LEGAL experts are encouraging people to speak out and call police in a timely manner in cases of sexual assault or harassment, after news of several such cases involving well-known figures burned through Chinese social media.

On July 25, a young female author, Chun Shu, alleged that she had been sexually assaulted and forced to have sex by Sun Mian and Zhang Chi (both male), respectively, on Weibo, China’s twitter. The former is the founder of the magazine, New Weekly, and the latter is an author and member of the China Writers Association.

Earlier on the same day, an anonymous letter circulated online accusing Zhang Wen, who has worked for several high-profile Chinese magazines, of rape.

Zhang denied the accusation, issuing a statement through his lawyer that said a person should call the police instead of posting information on social media after a sexual assault. He said he would defend his reputation through legal channels if necessary, Beijing News reported.

The allegations came after two charity founders confessed last week to sexually abusing women following accusations posted online.

“It’s good to see women standing up against sexual assault,” said Zhao Li, a Beijing criminal lawyer. “They need more encouragement. The louder they speak out, the more pressure they put on offenders.”

He added, however, that it is difficult for authorities to handle sexual assault cases in practice, “because not all people like to go to the police or even know how to collect evidence to prove such abuse.”

He suggested that legislators should revise the Criminal Procedure Law to extend the time limit for reporting and prosecuting sexual assault cases.

“Currently, it’s not possible to bring a case against someone 10 years after an alleged incident if they face 10 years in prison following conviction,” he added.

On July 23, Lei Chuang, founder of Yi You Charity, which combats discrimination against people with hepatitis B, confessed to sexual assault on social media after an anonymous woman said Lei had sexually abused her after a charity hike three years ago.

Later, Feng Yongfeng, the founder of the Beijing Fengtai Origin Enthusiast Environment Research Center, also admitted that he had harassed three women in charity circles since October while “under the influence of alcohol” following a report. (China Daily)