Millions of Chinese children suffer behavior problems, according to a recent nationwide survey.

The survey indicates that about 20 percent of middle and primary school children suffer problems ranging from unruliness to excessive drinking, teenage pregnancy and suicide.

The moral problems of China's 367 million under-18s, including growing juvenile crime, have become a focal point for Chinese leaders.

Figures from the Supreme People's Procuratorate show minors made up 9.1 percent of all suspects arrested last year.

"Most young offenders are involved in thefts, robberies, kidnapping, blackmail and drug addiction and trafficking. Many cases involve violence and some even involve rape and murder," said Bai Jingfu, vice minister of public security.

Nearly 70,000 minors were arrested last year, up 12.7 percent year-on-year.

The country's education system and social environment have been blamed as two of the major factors.

As grades are often a crucial yardstick at Chinese schools, those with poor grades tend to feel they are inferior and isolated.

Guan Ying, a researcher at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences who was involved in a national study tracking about 2,000 juvenile delinquents, said poor grades and other unpleasant school experiences are often the starting point for delinquency.

She said that 74.2 percent of the delinquents had quit primary or junior high school before they became involved in crime.

Nearly 93 percent of urban juvenile delinquents had records of truancy.

Easy access to adults-only public entertainment venues in residential areas, including dance clubs, karaoke bars and game rooms, has been blamed as a major social factor contributing to juvenile delinquency. Operators tend to ignore laws and regulations that bar minors from karaoke bars, Internet cafes and from purchasing violent or obscene videos and publications.

Guan Jie, vice headmaster of the prestigious No. 11 Middle School in Beijing, said the owner of a shop near the school sells tobacco to students and a nearby sex shop has items that can be seen from the street.

Guan said vendors of pirated pornographic videodisks often appear at the entrance to his school to market their products among the 5,000 students. The school's appeal to law enforcement agencies to crack down on these vendors has had little effect.

Schools, families and society as a whole should work together to educate minors, Guan said.

In March this year, the Chinese government unveiled a package of plans for raising the ideological and moral standards of young people, including more publicity, educational reform and investment in projects for young people.

Publicity campaigns will teach primary and middle school students to value life, say no to drugs, advocate science and civilization and oppose superstition.

The government promises to correct and help minors with a poor conduct records and to reform curricula, textbooks and teaching methods to ease the academic burden on primary and middle school children. It will step up efforts to improve ideological and moral instruction.

The government has built 130 centers for homeless children nationwide, providing them with basic necessities, medical services and education.

This year, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will join lawmakers to draft a special law to protect the country's 150,000 homeless children-105,000 boys and 45,000 girls, mostly between the ages of 10 and 15. Most of these children have had little schooling and make their livings begging or scavenging, said Li Liguo, vice minister of civil affairs.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2004)