Target: Ma Xiaowei, Head of National Health Commission for China
Goal: Create stronger mental health and public education programs for youth at risk of committing or being victimized by violence.
A 13-year-old boy was allegedly murdered by three other youth in a case that has shocked China and sparked controversy. The victim, only identified as Wang, had reportedly been the victim of long-term bullying at the hands of the suspects. Authorities apparently discovered his body buried underneath a greenhouse, and they believe the crime was premeditated. Reports indicate the boy was beaten beyond recognition.
China recently amended the age at which an accused offender can receive prison time to 12. While many outraged citizens are calling for the harshest possible sentence in the event of a conviction, others believe all the involved children are themselves victims of a broken system. The suspects were apparently “left behind” children: a term used in China referring to minors who are left in the care of other family members in the countryside while parents work in the city. Studies have shown that so-called left behind children are at greater risk in a number of ways, from mental health declines to bullying.
Despite the challenges these children face, little is seemingly done within the country to offer vulnerable youth support services. Sign the petition below to demand the most populous nation on Earth do more to protect and safeguard its future.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Commissioner Ma,
Calls for vengeance and retribution are strong in the alleged murder of a 13-year-old boy by peers. Similar outrage occurred in other cases involving young victims and suspected offenders. Making punishments harsher may satisfy a temporary need for justice, but these actions will not deter the rise of youth violence within China in the long-term.
Over 65 million children in this country have been “left behind.” While the term refers to children left to be raised in the countryside, on a deeper level it speaks to the way these young people have been left behind by their own leaders. Scant attention is given to mental health services for Chinese youth, and even less emphasis is placed on helping and aiding the nation’s most vulnerable and at-risk youth: the left behind children.
Instead of lowering the age once again for criminal liability, please devote the necessary resources and time to assisting these youth before the next tragedy strikes.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Hong Son
I don’t give a sh*t about psychopathic kids; they need to be removed from society to protect people and animals. They can’t be ‘fixed’ but if authorities think they can help them, have at it. Just keep them away from everybody else!
Not wrong! I didn’t sign this shit either.
The only future china has is a fucked one, there is no hope for children or Animals stuck in that hole.