The Chinese government’s cultural crackdown continues with an eye on its younger generations.
Chinese parents could soon join their children in detention after the country’s lawmakers recently proposed legislation that looks to punish parents whose young children exhibit “very bad behavior.”
Chinese parliament has yet to decide on the draft of the Family Education Promotion Law which, if passed, will mandate guardians to undergo family education guidance programs should prosecutors prove that children under their care are criminal or problematic.
“There are many reasons for adolescents to misbehave, and the lack of or inappropriate family education is the major cause,” said Zang Tiewei, spokesman of the Legislative Affairs Commission under the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s rubber-stamp parliament, per CNN.
The draft of the proposed law, which will be debated by the National People’s Congress during its standing committee session, also encourages parents to set aside time for their children to rest, play, and exercise.
Parents would also have to serve as the chief advocate to their children to “love the party, nation, people and socialism,” per the draft bill.
This includes teaching their children to “obey social mores; to strengthen legal awareness and a sense of social responsibility; to establish the concepts of national unification and ethnic unity, and teach the minors to respect the elderly and care for the young,” per The Independent. The legislation also pushes parents to be “thrifty and frugal, to be united and help each other, and to form a positive character,” and to refrain from using “violence” to discipline children.
This proposed law is the latest in China’s assertive efforts of cleansing its cultural practices, from cracking down on “sissy” feminine idols to setting a strict weekly gaming limit to minors.
Last September, China has begun a boycott of all “immoral” and feminine-appearing male idols and celebrities, urging young men to abide by a more masculine look. Meanwhile, the Education Ministry has cut down minors’ allowed gaming time to three hours a week and likewise limited these to Fridays and weekends. They have also lessened academic work outside of school and banned after-school for-profit tutoring in core school subjects.
Art Daniella Sison
