According a survey conducted by the Chinese Society for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Research, the only NGO in the country specializing in young criminals, 41 percent of juvenile delinquents are discontent with their families.
A survey was conducted on 966 boys and 239 girls in correctional institutions and reform schools in 10 provinces and municipalities in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hunan. Forty-five percent of the kids surveyed do not live or communicate with their parents.
A similar survey in 2004 shows that the number of juvenile delinquents who are children of migrant workers has increased. "Divorced and migrant parents also had unfavorable influences on their children’s development," explains Cao Xuecheng, secretary-general of the Chinese Society for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Research.
Li Meijin, one of China’s most well-known criminal psychologists, believes most kids who have become delinquents lack attention and care from their parents. "The period before a child turns 10 is very important," she says. "They really need parents’ guidance and help, but most adults are busy earning money instead of spending time with their children at home.”
Sang Biao, associate dean of the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science at East China Normal University agrees. Biao believes certain laws should be drawn up by the government to refrain parents from moving away from their children in order to work and earn more money.
For expat families living abroad with kids, this may not seem like a relevant issue. But when mom or dad are away on business trips or working for prolonged hours in the office, remember to schedule those weekly family outings, or chats to keep you in touch and up to date on the lives of your children.
Read more here. (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-07/25/content_12971972.htm)
