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China ready to stop school bullying, violence
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CHINESE Premier Li Keqiang recently penned a letter on how to best address the issue of campus violence.
In the letter, Li asked the Ministry of Education and other related authorities to “improve laws and regulations, strengthen student’s awareness of laws and rights, and resolutely put an end to behavior that disregard human dignity and lives.”
Bullying and violence at schools and colleges have been widely reported in recent years. In April, a video went viral that showed a school girl being slapped by older girls. In 2014, a video online showed several teenagers in Zhejiang Province burning a first-grade boy with cigarettes. Last year, a junior high student jumped from the fourth floor of a school building as he “just could not tolerate being bullied everyday for any longer.”
In China, criminal responsibility begins at the age of 14. Defendants under the age of 16 can only be charged with eight major crimes, including murder, rape and drug trafficking. Since bullying in schools does not often involve serious offenses, juvenile offenders are often given lenient sentences.
Children under 14 who commit intentional homicide or those under 16 who engage in acts of violence may escape punishment entirely due to omissions and loopholes in the current legal system. Though some juvenile offenders were held in police custody, the public are concerned that mild punishment will not teach them a lesson.
A survey by China Youth and Children Research Center (CYCRC) last year showed that juvenile delinquents are getting younger and younger, and crimes linked to cyber abuse are on the rise.
The education supervision committee under the State Council in early May launched a campaign to curb bullying. The campaign, which will last until December, focuses on providing students with legal and mental health education. Police and judicial staff will be invited to schools to give lectures, and education institutions are asked to improve measures for preventing and handling bullying.
“The state legislature should begin by lowering the age of criminal liability, given some crimes committed by minors under 14 have already severely endangered and harmed society,” said Guo Kaiyuan, a professor specializing in juvenile delinquency with the CYCRC.
The virtual nature of the Internet has freed people from the restriction of social norms. Immersing in online games has been linked to violence, and they may blindly solve real-life problems imitating online aggression, said Guo.
Although some experts have called for stricter punishment, others suggest early prevention. Children need better moral and legal guidance at home and school, said Pi Yijun, a law professor with China University of Political Science and Law.
Juvenile first offenders should learn their lessons through community rectification instead of harsh imprisonment, “otherwise they might be alienated from society and neighborhood, expounding the likelihood of recidivism,” said Pi.
At the same time, it is equally crucial to teach children how to properly protect themselves from and deal with school bullying, said Tong Lihua, a lawyer specializing in legal aid for teenagers.
“Minors under 14 with serious criminal records such as murder, mayhem and rape should be rehabilitated with strict discipline, and professional psychologists and social workers should be encouraged to guide and intervene daily conduct”, said Song Yinghui, deputy director of law school under Beijing Normal University.
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