The juvenile crime rate in China is alarming. According to the latest data from the Chinese Communist Party, in the first quarter of the year, there were 12,000 juvenile offenders sentenced, showing a staggering 77.67% increase compared to the previous year. Juvenile offenders accounted for 3.12% of the total number of criminals, with a significant 8.50% rate of severe punishment.
On April 22, the Supreme People’s Court of the Chinese Communist Party released the main judicial trial data for the first quarter of 2024. The data revealed a rising trend in criminal first-instance cases, with 289,000 such cases accepted, marking an 8.32% year-on-year increase.
During this period, 374,000 defendants were sentenced, a 14% growth compared to the previous year. Among them, there were 12,000 juvenile offenders sentenced, indicating a worrisome 77.67% increase, constituting 3.12% of the total number of criminals, with a 1.12 percentage point rise compared to the previous year, and a severe punishment rate of 8.50%.
The juvenile crime rate has once again sparked public concern.
Investor, financial blogger, and prominent social media figure Liu Ruidong expressed disbelief: “Such a significant year-on-year increase?”
Video blogger and social media influencer Ye Leilei stated: “Parents are the first teachers to their children. When parents are not around during the crucial times when discipline and values need guidance, it can lead to children turning to crime… The issue of juvenile delinquency and rehabilitation not only requires strict legal measures but also demands social care, familial warmth, and educational guidance. While we reflect on the past, we must also look toward the future, constructing a social environment conducive to the healthy growth of the younger generation with open minds and wisdom.”
In recent times, a series of shocking juvenile crime incidents have been reported in China, many of which are related to left-behind children.
For example, on March 10th of this year, Wang Ziyao, a first-year student in Feixiang District, Handan City, Hebei Province, was murdered and buried by three classmates of the same age, who nonchalantly attended school after the crime, shocking society. Under immense public pressure, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of China reviewed and decided to prosecute the suspects Zhang, Li, and Ma.
This was the second case within a month in China where a crime committed by a juvenile under 14 years old was approved for prosecution. Previously, in Gansu province, a 13-year-old boy was suspected of brutally killing an 8-year-old girl, making it the first case approved for prosecution by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
These cases all involve left-behind children. Left-behind children are a unique phenomenon in Mainland China, where one or both parents leave their hometowns to work in urban areas, leaving the children behind in rural areas or with relatives for extended periods away from their parents.
On March 18th, an article by the WeChat public account “Basic Common Sense” raised the question of whether juvenile offenders should be severely punished or rehabilitated. However, what often gets overlooked is the terrifying social issue behind these cases: it is a bloody tragedy where three left-behind children killed another left-behind child, reflecting the gray life of 10.86 million left-behind children in China (as of the 2023 data).
Looking at the current situation of the vast majority of left-behind children, who are separated from their parents and raised by elderly relatives, they are generally only provided with basic necessities. In some cases, elderly caregivers with health issues may not even ensure the children’s well-being, let alone provide support for their studies, offer mental assistance in times of distress or confusion, or guide them towards proper values.
The article questioned whether the millions of parents of left-behind children do not wish to bring their children to cities for education. It pointed out the disparity in education policies and opportunities for migrant worker children in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and even in Hebei’s capital, Shijiazhuang.
The article condemned the closure of schools specifically designed for left-behind children by authorities in certain areas, even denying them the opportunity to take local entrance exams, stating, “The most mind-boggling action is in an area known for humanitarian deeds, where even the schools catering to the children of migrant workers who have given up the chance for local entrance exams are being shut down…”
According to official data from the Chinese Communist Party in 2016, 70% of all criminal offenses in China were committed by youth, while within juvenile crimes, 70% involved left-behind children.