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)