Why are girls behaving so badly?
Counsellors say dysfunctional media influences like pop star Britney Spears, rising materialism and weakening family bonds are possible factors. Many girls feel pressured to look good and dress well. When they do not have the money to buy what they want, they resort to begging, borrowing, stealing or selling sex. Most start out by shoplifting items like accessories, clothes, bags and cosmetics, notes Ms Eileen Chua, assistant director of Lakeside Family Centre, which has seen more delinquent girls over the years. Sandy, 15, says she took to peddling illegal cigarettes at the void deck to supplement her $5 daily allowance. She made about $150 a day. ‘I used to steal money from my father but my friend told me not to do it. She introduced me to selling cigarettes instead,’ says the Secondary 3 dropout. But the money ran out soon after she ran away from home. Bad girls, good homes IT USED to be that bad girls who stole, fought and joined gangs mostly came from broken families. Not any more
