School bullies in Beijing redeem crime through education program

Young girls undergo military training on their first day of a legal education program for those convicted crimes related to school bullying.[Photo: fawan.com]

Fourteen girls who have been convicted and put in detention for school bullying in Beijing are now being given a chance for redemption, reports the Legal Evening News.

A seven-day legal education program jointly provided by a school in Beijing's Tongzhou District and the Beijing Tongzhou People's Court was launched on September 4 to teach discipline, as well as the law to the girls.

After undergoing the legal education, a test will be administered to see if they've learned, and to determine whether the girls are fit to go back to school.

The legal education program includes a military training, psychological counseling with their parents, working a nursing home and legal lectures.

Young girls undergo military training on their first day of a legal education program for those convicted crimes related to school bullying.[Photo: fawan.com]

This is the first time the courts in China have provided post-conviction training. 

There have been frequent reports of school bullying in recent years across China.

In June, five students were put in administrative detention and fined after a video of them bullying a schoolmate went viral on the internet. 

Last year a video went viral showing a schoolgirl being slapped more than 30 times by a group of older girls. Police later detained some of the perpetrators in that case.

China's education authorities launched a campaign to curb school bullying last year.

A hotline for reporting of bullying has been established.