School violence reflects weak penalties for lawbreaking minors

A video showing several middle school students in Qingyuan, East China's Zhejiang province, torturing a first-grade pupil with cigarettes has been widely spread online. The local police saw the video and have spoken to the perpetrators. But since they were minors, they have only been warned about their actions and asked to apologize. Comments:

On their path toward maturity, youths may ignore education that helps shape a healthy personality. Sometimes they receive no education about obeying the law. That's essentially why our youths are so accustomed to using violence to solve problems. It is urgent that we strengthen moral education to curb rampant campus violence.

Tang Yinghong, a faculty member at Leshan Normal University, June 23

Violence has always existed in our schools. In the past it was ignored because there was no video-recording and Internet to make it known to all. The whole of society needs to join hands to root out the hidden problems behind the violence, such as bad moral education, weak legal punishments against minors who break the law, as well as the system that separates tens of millions of rural children from their parents who work in faraway cities. It will take time and energy to solve these problems.

Southern Metropolis Daily, June 23

Whenever minors resort to violence, they always get light penalties, which is politically correct but rather unfair on the victims. This is improper implementation of the law protecting minors, which is aimed at protecting their legal rights, not enabling and condoning their evil acts.

Liu Liu, a writer, via Sina micro blog, June 22

The fact that minors resort to violence shows our education and law are both ineffective. It is important to provide psychological help where necessary, and more importantly reform our education and legal systems so that the evil will be curbed, instead of being copied by more minors.

People's Daily, via Sina micro blog, June 22