diff --git a/qemu-char.c b/qemu-char.c
index b562bf88a7..27abcb9186 100644
--- a/qemu-char.c
+++ b/qemu-char.c
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@
 static QTAILQ_HEAD(CharDriverStateHead, CharDriverState) chardevs =
     QTAILQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(chardevs);
 
-static void qemu_chr_event(CharDriverState *s, int event)
+void qemu_chr_be_event(CharDriverState *s, int event)
 {
     /* Keep track if the char device is open */
     switch (event) {
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ static void qemu_chr_event(CharDriverState *s, int event)
 static void qemu_chr_generic_open_bh(void *opaque)
 {
     CharDriverState *s = opaque;
-    qemu_chr_event(s, CHR_EVENT_OPENED);
+    qemu_chr_be_event(s, CHR_EVENT_OPENED);
     qemu_bh_delete(s->bh);
     s->bh = NULL;
 }
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ static int mux_proc_byte(CharDriverState *chr, MuxDriver *d, int ch)
             bdrv_commit_all();
             break;
         case 'b':
-            qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_BREAK);
+            qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_BREAK);
             break;
         case 'c':
             /* Switch to the next registered device */
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ static void fd_chr_read(void *opaque)
     if (size == 0) {
         /* FD has been closed. Remove it from the active list.  */
         qemu_set_fd_handler2(s->fd_in, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL);
-        qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
+        qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
         return;
     }
     if (size > 0) {
@@ -613,7 +613,7 @@ static void fd_chr_close(struct CharDriverState *chr)
     }
 
     g_free(s);
-    qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
+    qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
 }
 
 /* open a character device to a unix fd */
@@ -715,7 +715,7 @@ static void stdio_read(void *opaque)
     if (size == 0) {
         /* stdin has been closed. Remove it from the active list.  */
         qemu_set_fd_handler2(0, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL);
-        qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
+        qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
         return;
     }
     if (size > 0) {
@@ -977,7 +977,7 @@ static void pty_chr_close(struct CharDriverState *chr)
     qemu_del_timer(s->timer);
     qemu_free_timer(s->timer);
     g_free(s);
-    qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
+    qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
 }
 
 static int qemu_chr_open_pty(QemuOpts *opts, CharDriverState **_chr)
@@ -1355,7 +1355,7 @@ static void pp_close(CharDriverState *chr)
     ioctl(fd, PPRELEASE);
     close(fd);
     g_free(drv);
-    qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
+    qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
 }
 
 static int qemu_chr_open_pp(QemuOpts *opts, CharDriverState **_chr)
@@ -1500,7 +1500,7 @@ static void win_chr_close(CharDriverState *chr)
     else
         qemu_del_polling_cb(win_chr_poll, chr);
 
-    qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
+    qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
 }
 
 static int win_chr_init(CharDriverState *chr, const char *filename)
@@ -2108,7 +2108,7 @@ static void udp_chr_close(CharDriverState *chr)
         closesocket(s->fd);
     }
     g_free(s);
-    qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
+    qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
 }
 
 static int qemu_chr_open_udp(QemuOpts *opts, CharDriverState **_chr)
@@ -2213,7 +2213,7 @@ static void tcp_chr_process_IAC_bytes(CharDriverState *chr,
             } else {
                 if ((unsigned char)buf[i] == IAC_BREAK && s->do_telnetopt == 2) {
                     /* Handle IAC break commands by sending a serial break */
-                    qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_BREAK);
+                    qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_BREAK);
                     s->do_telnetopt++;
                 }
                 s->do_telnetopt++;
@@ -2321,7 +2321,7 @@ static void tcp_chr_read(void *opaque)
         qemu_set_fd_handler2(s->fd, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL);
         closesocket(s->fd);
         s->fd = -1;
-        qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
+        qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
     } else if (size > 0) {
         if (s->do_telnetopt)
             tcp_chr_process_IAC_bytes(chr, s, buf, &size);
@@ -2433,7 +2433,7 @@ static void tcp_chr_close(CharDriverState *chr)
         closesocket(s->listen_fd);
     }
     g_free(s);
-    qemu_chr_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
+    qemu_chr_be_event(chr, CHR_EVENT_CLOSED);
 }
 
 static int qemu_chr_open_socket(QemuOpts *opts, CharDriverState **_chr)
diff --git a/qemu-char.h b/qemu-char.h
index 7efcf99f53..8ca1e2d54e 100644
--- a/qemu-char.h
+++ b/qemu-char.h
@@ -212,6 +212,16 @@ int qemu_chr_be_can_write(CharDriverState *s);
  */
 void qemu_chr_be_write(CharDriverState *s, uint8_t *buf, int len);
 
+
+/**
+ * @qemu_chr_be_event:
+ *
+ * Send an event from the back end to the front end.
+ *
+ * @event the event to send
+ */
+void qemu_chr_be_event(CharDriverState *s, int event);
+
 void qemu_chr_add_handlers(CharDriverState *s,
                            IOCanReadHandler *fd_can_read,
                            IOReadHandler *fd_read,