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Crimes by laborers on the rise in Shanghai, researchers say

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-09 07:39

The number of crimes committed by migrants in Shanghai has sharply increased during the past decade, caused mainly by their poor living conditions, a research study has found.

The findings were based on research conducted by the Minhang District People's Court on the district's crimes between 1997 and 2006.

The research found that the number of non-Shanghainese criminals in the district jumped from 697 in 2002 to 1,971 in 2006.

Meanwhile, the ratio of crimes committed by non-Shanghainese people rose from 74.79 percent in 2002 to 76.25 percent in 2006.

"Though the figures are only from the Minhang district, based on my knowledge and working experience, I think it does illustrate the situation of the entire city," said Zhang Yue, one of the authors of the research report and a former staffer with the court.

"The situation after 2006 is only getting worse. Last year, 80 to 90 percent of the crimes were committed by non-Shanghainese. I believe other district courts are experiencing the same thing," said Han Weiqing, chief judge of the criminal court of the Minhang District People's Court.

The crimes committed by non-Shanghainese are mainly property crimes such as burglary, theft and robbery, according to the research.

Most of the criminals are migrant workers younger than 35 with hardly any education. Many of them come from underdeveloped regions, the report said.

One of the reasons why migrants are more likely to commit crimes than local Shanghainese is that their life pressures are heavier, said professor Wu Yuhong with the department of criminal law at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.

Shanghai residents enjoy a lot of social welfare even if they don't have a job, but the migrants will get almost nothing once they lose their jobs, the professor said.

Another reason is that migrants sometimes are paid less than the locals doing the same job, which makes them feel like they are treated unfairly. They sometimes feel they are looked down upon, so they commit crimes out of revenge, Wu said.

As Shanghai's economic development speeds up, more migrants from rural areas are flooding to the city to seek a better living. According to the Shanghai Statistic Bureau, nearly 4 million migrant workers now live in the city.

Changing the current social welfare system in the city so that it covers more immigrants could help ease the problem, Wu said.