Controversy over female students having to prove they have menstrual cramps to be allowed to miss school

(Dan Tri) - A female Chinese student recently shared her "shocking" experience when she asked for leave due to menstrual cramps. She was asked by a female medical staff member to take off her clothes to prove that she really had menstrual cramps.

Shock when asking for leave due to menstrual cramps

The incident occurred on May 15 at Gengdan Academy, a private university in Beijing (China), a joint training school with Beijing University of Technology (China).

In a video shared on social media by a female student of Gengdan Academy, the unnamed student said she went to the school's medical office to ask for a day off from school that day, because she had severe menstrual cramps.

The shock of a female student asking for leave due to menstrual cramps has caused controversy among Chinese public opinion (Illustration: Leoai).

The female staff member working in the school's medical office asked the female student to remove her clothing so that she could confirm that she was indeed on her period. According to the female medical office staff, this was necessary in order to write a certificate of leave of absence for the female student.

The female student refused to comply, believing that the request was inappropriate. However, the female health worker insisted: "This is not a rule I made, but a school rule."

When the female student asked to see the document with this unbelievable regulation, the female medical staff could not produce any document. In order to allow the female student to be absent from school with permission while not cooperating with the school medical staff, the woman asked the female student to go to the hospital for a check-up, so that she could have medical records to prove that she was absent from school with permission.

The incident quickly sparked controversy on Chinese social media. On May 16, Gengdan Academy issued a statement affirming that medical staff "followed proper procedures."

Due to the controversy on social media, the school conducted an internal investigation. The results of the investigation showed that medical staff asked about the female student's health condition before performing the necessary examination.

The female staff will not force the student and will only perform the verification if the female student agrees to cooperate. The verification action will not use any equipment or touch the female student's body.

A representative of Gengdan Academy told Chinese media that the regulation mentioned by the female health worker was not new and was only intended to prevent abuse of taking leave due to health problems.

"There are female students who take leave 4-5 times a month, all because of menstrual cramps, so the school has to issue this regulation to the medical staff," said a representative of Gengdan Academy.

Public controversy and lawyer's perspective

The female student then went to the hospital for a check-up to get a certificate. She made a video sharing the incident and posted it on social media, hoping that the school and the school's medical department would find a reasonable solution and have regulations that would be more respectful of female students.

The incident has attracted a lot of comments on Chinese social media. Many people do not support the school's policy of checking whether female students are actually menstruating. Many people think that this request is insensitive, violates privacy, and even causes psychological trauma to female students.

The controversial incident attracted comments from the online community and lawyers (Illustration photo: SCMP).

One netizen humorously commented: "If I had diarrhea, I wouldn't know how to prove it to the school health staff."

Another person analyzed: "The story of female students asking for leave 4-5 times in a month because of menstrual cramps can happen due to abnormalities related to menstruation. I myself have encountered and experienced a period of menstrual cramps that lasted up to 50 days."

Another person commented harshly: "This is not a rule but an abuse of power. Forcing female students to undress like that can be considered harassment."

Attorney Zhang Yongquan of the Grandall law firm told Chinese media that such checks could cause schools to violate personal privacy and infringe on students' dignity, according to China's Civil Code and the Law on Protection of Women's Rights and Interests.

Lawyer Zhang said: "The medical staff's inspection and the school's regulations both reflect a mentality of distrust towards students. This does not reflect the core values ​​promoted in theeducational environment, and at the same time gives an uncivilized and negative feeling in the higher education environment.

This controversial behavior can also be considered an insult to the dignity and psychological damage to the female students. The school needs to publicly apologize and compensate for the students' mental damage. The school even needs to be subject to the handling of the authorities in the field of education for creating bad public opinion."

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/tranh-cai-viec-nu-sinh-phai-chung-minh-bi-dau-bung-kinh-moi-duoc-nghi-hoc-20250526120057480.htm