Survey: 70 percent of young criminals are children of migrants

CHINA—A survey has found that more than 70 percent of juvenile offenders, both in cities and rural areas, are the children of migrants, according to an organizer of the survey.

Song Yinghui, a professor of criminal law at Beijing Normal University, said the survey is based on a sample of nearly 400 minors who committed crimes in selected provinces and municipalities nationwide.

More than 60 percent of the juveniles do not live with their parents, and more than 75 percent have dropped out of school, the survey found.

“Some children who have no home or have quit school are easily taken advantage of and used by adults to commit crimes such as theft or even drug trafficking,” Song said.

“Relying solely on crackdowns to solve the problem is far from enough. Prevention should play an important role.”

The police should have special task forces to deal with juvenile delinquency and cooperate with prosecutors and courts, Song said.

Under the Criminal Law, minors under the age of 14 who commit crimes will be corrected in reconstruction centers instead of serving jail time.

“But some police neglect them, or don’t know how to help, after they are sent to the centers. They may not know about education and behavior guidance,” he said.

In addition, the methods used to interrogate minors should be different from those used with adults, “or else it won’t be good for children’s growth, and they may commit crimes again,” he said.

Yang Xin’e, a prosecutor in Beijing’s Haidian district, agreed. The police work with her department, which specializes in cases involving minors and is exploring ways to protect minors and prevent them from committing crimes.

Of the crimes involving minors Yang has dealt with in the last five years, theft, robbery, intentional injury and disturbing public order top the list.

“The Haidian police work to educate and help minor offenders under 14 years of age to correct their lives after detention. And they keep close watch over the children for about three months after they are released,” she said.

Now, China has 367 million minors, among whom about 100 million are left-behind by migrant parents or have no residence, according to the 2010 Census.

There are 2 million children who live alone, according to the All-China Women’s Federation.

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