Young people are committing more and more murders in Vietnam, causing great societal concern. Experts blame it on various causes like lack of knowledge of conflict resolution, social injustice, relationship problems, unemployment, and substance abuse.
Part 2: Sociologists blame society for youth crimes
One thing they all agree on is that respect for human life has eroded, especially among youngsters, with even random conflicts ending in murders and other serious crimes.
There were 1,339 murders last year compared to 1,180 in 2009.
A decade ago most murderers were between 30 and 45, but now people aged 18 to 30 account for 41 percent of homicides, a study of 4,000 killers between 1997 and 2010 by the Center for Criminology and Crime Prevention found.
While some argue that crime-fighting should be improved to reduce the incidence of homicide, judge Vu Phi Long of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court says equipping people to handle conflicts better will be more effective.
It does not mean deterrence is useless but "zero tolerance" should not be the only policy, he explains.
Nguyen Nhat Thanh, chief of the investigation police unit of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1, says conflict-resolution skills should be a basic part of school curriculums since it is clear that the more they are taught, the greater the fall in violence levels.
Conflict is a natural part of life and may arise from misunderstandings, competing interests, and scarcity of services, he says. But conflict itself is not the culprit, he argues, saying it is how we respond to a conflict that is the issue.
Nguyen Van Chung, chief of the city’s District 3 prosecutors’ office, says the government should do more to educate teenagers in correct behaviors and perceptions for their social and emotional enhancement.
“Vietnam has yet to have courts to try juveniles and it is illogical to put teenagers and adults in the same cell.”
“Some teenagers become hardened when they stay with adults.
“Unemployment is one of the causes for young people committing crimes.
“Youths who are unskilled but desire expensive mobile phones and motorbikes are prone to committing crimes.”
Western cultural influences also cause a conflict in perceptions among youths, he says.
Their imitation of western cultural and social mores as a means of self-assertion often puts them in conflict with their own traditional society, he explains.
Sociologist and Ho Chi Minh City Open University lecturer Le Minh Tien blames the ineffectiveness of the law enforcement system.
“The ineffectiveness of the law and social injustice are other factors that contribute to the increasing incidence of crimes.
“The lack of confidence in law enforcement causes people to settle their conflicts by resorting to might and the conflicts escalate.”
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