China's first helpline for girls who have been victims of sexual assault has officially opened in Beijing, receiving 60-odd calls already.

The line, set up by Beijing Forestry University and Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, aimed to help minors deal with the psychological results of an attack and live normally, He Minghua, project manager, was reported as saying by Monday's Beijing Youth Daily.

"Cases of sexual assault against girls have been soaring in China, and victims are often confronted with great social pressure, which adds insult to injury," said He. "That is why we opened the line."

Friday's phone calls were mostly made by girls themselves, while a few were by their parents, friends or relatives seeking advice to help them.

"It seems people do trust us once they learn we are there," said He. "We only received several calls on the first day, but Sunday, the number rose to 39."

Sexual assaults, including sexual harassment, obscenity, and rape, could seriously disturb victims, who needed "timely and professional therapy", said Dr. Zhu Jianjun, a psychological expert with the project.

Rape, for example, led to fear, anger, shame, humiliation and anxiety in the several weeks following the crime when urgent assistance is desired, he said.

But as these issues are usually regarded as strictly private matters in traditional Chinese culture, most girl victims fail to seek help.

"As a result, some become very afraid of men and have no confidence in marriage or love," Zhu said. "In the extreme cases, some girls may consider themselves 'dirty' and become sexually indulgent or even take up criminal activities, like prostitution."

The professional consultants at the center consist of psychology professors and consulting staff from major Beijing Universities.

"We want to be there to listen to them, talk to them, and hopefully, help them through the stage," said He.

The center plans to expand the service to face-to-face consultation, group psychological support later and establish links with police departments to provide support for victims.

(Xinhua News Agency March 8, 2004)