ABSTRACT
Left-behind children—those who remain in rural areas under the care of grandparents while their parents migrate to urban centres for work—are disproportionately vulnerable to teacher-perpetrated (child sexual abuse [CSA]) in rural school settings. This scoping review aims to examine how issues related to teacher-perpetrated CSA are represented in existing literature and media discourse, as these portrayals can significantly shape public perceptions of CSA and influence policy responses that directly affect victims, survivors and perpetrators. Media reports on incidents of teacher-perpetrated CSA against rural left-behind children (hereafter ‘teacher-perpetrated CSA’) were systematically collected. The search focused on Chinese-language publications with accessible full texts; reports lacking detailed case descriptions were also included. A total of 19 cases reported between 2000 and 2023 were identified, and the characteristics of both perpetrators and victims were analysed. Media coverage revealed a disproportionately high number of assault cases involving left-behind girls in rural schools. The absence of age-appropriate sex education in China likely contributes to children’s limited awareness of CSA and inadequate self-protection knowledge. Furthermore, insufficiently developed sex-crime legislation often leaves victims without effective legal recourse. Existing laws fail to ensure that compensation provided by perpetrators to underage victims reflects the severity of the offence, highlighting a critical gap in victim protection and justice enforcement. The greatest challenge at present is that rural left-behind children continue to live in unprotected environments where they are at risk of sexual abuse. Under the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Minors, families, schools, society and the judicial system all share a legal and moral responsibility to safeguard left-behind children from teacher-perpetrated CSA. Effective prevention requires coordinated efforts across these sectors to build a comprehensive protective network that ensures children’s safety and well-being.