Malaysian Parents Targeted to Curb Crime

A tearjerker film, hard-hitting TV advertisements, coaching clinics and a national seminar are the prongs of a shock and therapy strategy planned by Malaysia to stem a sharp rise in juvenile crime, it was reported today.

The big difference between this strategy and traditional campaigns, according to the New Straits Times, is that the targets are not the young law-breakers but their parents.

Education ministry officials hope that by using dramatised real-life accounts to show parents how their children may succumb to breaking the law, people will take the problem seriously. The clinics and advertisements will then be used to explain how to stop behaviour spiralling out of control.

The deputy education minister, Hon Choon Kim, was quoted as saying: "We figured that if we reach out to parents this way, it will have greater impact. Through the television and other media, we can reach not only the parents, but also children and society at large."

Data released recently by the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation show the number of under-18s committing crimes has soared by 25% to 5,083 in January to June this year compared with 4,063 last year.

Lee Lam Thye, the foundation's vice-chairman, reportedly said that parents need to be jolted from their apathy. He said that during a recent campaign in six secondary schools with parent-teacher associations, not a single parent turned up.

Theft, extorting money and using drugs were the most common crimes, according to the foundation. Most Malaysian children convicted of crimes are sent to reform schools, where much emphasis is placed on strict discipline.