Changing Views on Sex

Updated April, 20 2010 10:06:23
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Families blamed for rise in teen crime youth crime
|[pic][pic]                                                   |
|A family gathers for dinner. Poor parenting is being blamed   |
|for the increase in crime among teenagers. — VNA/VNS File     |
|Photo                                                         |

HA NOI — The central province of Quang Nam has seen a remarkable increase in teen crime that includes robberies, gang fighting and even murder, according to the province's police department, which reported that over half of the 587 arrests in the province last year were of persons under 16 years of age.
"There are many reasons for the growth in adolescent crime," said Quang Nam police chief Nguyen The Nghiep.
"Inappropriate education of children at school, at home and in society has resulted in their reduced interest in following a healthy lifestyle," said Nghiep. "Children, especially from rural, remote and ethnic areas where they have limited education and parental guidance, easily fall into a life of crime."
A recent survey of 1,000 students by the Environmental and Social Affairs Research Institute found that 95 per cent lacked sufficient life skills and over 76 per cent expressed a wish for greater life skills training and reported feeling embarrassed at dealing with problems they are met in their lives.
"Family is the most important factor in teen crime," said the head of the child protection office of the Quang Nam Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ngo Thi Loan.
"Recent years have been seen an alarming increase in the number of children affected by family problems," said Loan. "They've seen their parents fighting, breaking up and divorcing. And many children have been the victims of domestic violence themselves, being beaten and humiliated by their parents."
All of these were leading factors in children leaving home and committing crimes, said Loan.
Teen crime had been on the rise...