To protect minors from committing crimes at early stage of life, over 130 juvenile law experts and procurators across China attended a seminar in Chengdu City in southeast China’s Sichuan Province on Saturday to discuss the strengthening of compulsory parental education system.

The concept of parental education originated from Germany, where being parents is seen as a highly professional occupation that requires formal training and proper education.

In China, a pilot compulsory parental education system has been set up in Chengdu since March 2016. The compulsory program launched by local procuratorates targeted parents of minor offenders as well as victims, requiring parents to receive professional help from social welfare organizations and psychological counseling services to improve their parenting skills, learn to communicate with their children and help the minors go back into society.

Since the launch of the pilot program, parents of 176 minor offenders and 11 juvenile victims attended a total of 128 compulsory parental education courses, Chengdu Evening News reports.

“The compulsory parental education program is a pioneering move for the country to intervene in guardianship of minors,” explained Yang Chunxi, vice procurator-general of Chengdu People's Procuratorate. 

“We worked with police, local courts, educational departments and other related services to offer courses in family communication, parent-children relationship and psychological counseling to parents who need guidance,” Yang said. “Those who refuse to attend our compulsory courses may receive a warning and even legal punishments.”

Parenting skills are not born talents, while failed parenting often leads to juvenile delinquency. 

Statistics show that nearly 50 percent of minors who are involved in criminal cases in Chengdu lived away from their parents or legal guardians, according to thecover.cn. Among these juveniles, nearly 80 percent either suffer violence and verbal abuse or are spoiled or given insufficient attention. 

“The compulsory parental education program is an indirect way for the legal system to intervene in guardianship of minors, without breaking a family. In this way, not only the parents and the minors don’t need to be separated but an improved family relationship can be established,” a staff member from a local social welfare organization told thecover.cn.