Friday, July 07, 2006

China: Girl drowns self after hair code bans her

From Shanghai Daily:

Girl drowns self after hair code bans her: "LIKE it or not, some schools are very strict about dress code, hair cut and the importance of punctuality for class and exams. This rigid adherence to discipline can have deadly consequences. This was the case in the elite No. 7 Middle School in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. On January 16, Wu Wenwen, a Junior Two student of Wenzhou No.7 Middle School, went to sit for the end-of-term Chinese exam. But the 16-year-old was barred because her hair was down, not pinned up. Her teacher, Qiu Xuemei, ordered her to leave and fix her hair. Half an hour later, Wenwen returned, her hair in order. But she was told the exam had started and she was too late to take it. Wenwen phoned her mother in tears, saying that she could get a zero in the final - and then she disappeared. Her body was found in a nearby lake. She left a 'good-bye' letter to her parents. After the 16-year-old's suicide, the grieving parents sued the school and educational bureau

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A survey by the Zhejiang Health Education Institute says that over 13 percent of the students at primary and middle schools in the province have had suicidal tendencies.

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I blogged about Chinese women and suicide last month over at B.L.O.G.

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