Police in China are investigating an incident involving a young woman filmed dancing suggestively on a train in front of a young boy after public outcry over indecency.
The unidentified woman was filmed last Friday afternoon dancing provocatively in front of a little boy seated on a train in Chengdu, Sichuan province in southwestern China.
The woman, dressed in a black and white striped T-shirt and black leggings, stood near a vertical metal pole next to the boy and began dancing as he watched, news outlet Yidian Zixun reported.
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In the four-minute video she is filmed gyrating and swivelling her hips while dancing provocatively. A male passenger seated next to the boy is seen standing up and moving away from the woman as she dances.
The woman is then seen pulling up the front of her T-shirt to reveal her midriff to the boy before dropping to the floor and doing the splits. She then grabs an overhead straphanger and spins around before approaching the boy, wrapping her arms around him before giving him a kiss.
The video ends with her taking a seat on the floor in front of a set of carriage doors and continuing to sway her head while looking at her phone.
Public criticism on social media was swift after the video emerged, with many calling the dance “too hot”.
Chengdu Metro said it had regular patrols on its trains but that they were not present when the video was filmed.
“There were staff members patrolling on the metro, but they probably missed that carriage,” it said in a Weibo post.
The local police said the incident was under investigation.
The video has caused a moral uproar on Chinese social media, with many saying the dance was too sexual and suggestive for public space and that the presence of the boy was concerning.
One Weibo user jokingly asked: “Was that woman his mum? The poor little boy!”
Another asked: “Had she taken drugs? Was I the only one who thought she was committing sexual harassment?”
“It was disgusting and she ruined the little boy. I feel like she suffers from a mental health disorder,” wrote another.
Chen Liang, a lawyer from Excellent Lawyer Law Firm, said in an interview with the Shanghai Law Journal that the woman’s behaviour could be considered indecent assault under Chinese law.
“The woman behaved in a sexual manner in front of the boy by exposing her underwear, and the hug and kiss, for all that she could be charged with indecent assault on a juvenile,” she said.
Wu Pingzheng, a lawyer from Hubei Shouyi Lawyer Office, added that not all indecent assaults on juveniles were criminal code violations. Under China’s Criminal Law severe indecent assaults in public could see offenders jailed for more than five years if found guilty.
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