China vows to crack down on bullying after student’s murder sparks public outrage

Data from the Supreme People’s Court showed that 22.94 percent of court cases for violent crimes (such as murder, robbery and kidnapping) involving minors under 18 years of age, between 2021 and 2023, did not have sufficient parental supervision, and many of them came from single-parent households or parents who remarried.

In China, the term “abandoned children” refers to children who are left behind in rural regions when their parents go to work in urban areas. In many cases, these children are cared for by other relatives, such as grandparents, who remain in rural regions.

A study conducted by government think tank The China Youth and Children Research Center among more than 3,000 students under the age of 18 in China between 2020 and 2022 showed that 53.5 percent have been bullied at school, but only 20 .3 percent would report the problem to their parents. teachers, school or parents if the bullying occurred a second time.

Assistant professor Mu Zheng from the department of sociology and anthropology at the National University of Singapore told The Straits Times that the problem of bullying in China may have increased in recent years, as more and more parents move to cities in They look for work and they leave. their children back with their families.

Little attention is also paid to children’s mental health and psychological development, as well as their exposure to violent online content, said Professor Mu, whose research includes migration and families in both Singapore and China.

“There has been too much emphasis on children’s education and cognitive outcomes (and) the monetary importance of parenting,” he added.

Niu Juyi, 37, an accountant in Beijing who has an 11-year-old son, told ST that “parents have been very concerned about the bullying cases, especially that of the 13-year-old boy who was killed.” for his companions.”

He said he would talk to his son whenever he read about these bullying cases and would encourage him to talk to him about the problems he faces at school, including his relationships with his classmates.

“It’s also important for parents to know the parents of their child’s classmates, because sometimes they will find out what happened to their child based on the stories of other classmates,” he said, adding that this method has helped her son’s classmates who had been bullied.

A divorced mother from Changchun, capital of northeast China’s Jilin province, who wanted to be known only as Mrs. Pan, said her 16-year-old daughter had been bullied at school a few years ago for not living with her father. She declined to give her full name to protect the identity of her son.

“At first, I told my daughter to ignore those sarcastic comments, but one day she came back crying. “She said she responded to one of the bullies and received a slap in return,” said the 40-year-old sales executive.

“That’s when I scolded the school principal, her teacher and the other girl’s parents,” she said. And that put an end to the matter.

“I’m so glad things didn’t get out of hand, but I still feel really guilty for not doing more when she first told me about the harassment.”

• Additional information by Miao Chunlei