A 2-year-old girl, Yue Yue, was left bleeding on a street after being hit by a van in Foshan, Guangdong province, on Oct 13. Eighteen people passed by the grievously injured girl, but none stopped to help her, and she was hit by a second vehicle. The media have decried the moral decay in China, but it is more important to think of ways to prevent such tragedies, says an article in the Oriental Morning Post. Excerpts:

In what kind of situations do people not act indifferently and help others?

In 1973, some psychologists in the United States conducted an experiment, known as "The Good Samaritan". The participants were required to go to another place to preach, which was very important for their careers, while a person lay injured on the road crying for help.

The result of the experiment was revealing: If people have limited time, 90 percent of them would pretend not to see an injured person on the road. They may walk past the victim even after having a close look at him/her.

But if they have abundant time, most of them would stop to help a victim.

The experiment tells us that whether an individual will help others depends not only on his/her sense of values and duty, but also on whether the time and environment is suitable for him/her to act as a good Samaritan.

The US study can be used as a reference to analyze the indifference shown by people who passed by the injured toddler, Yue Yue, in Foshan.

Some of the passers-by claimed that they were in such a hurry that they didn't see the injured girl. A woman who walked past Yue Yue with her small daughter said that she was too scared to come to the victim's help.

The fear of being made to answer the local public security bureau's questions, the rainstorm lashing the city at the time and the dim light in the street could also have played important roles in the decision of the passers-by to ignore the little victim.

It is easy to criticize the passers-by for their indifference. Indeed, they should be ashamed of what they did, or rather did not do. But it is more important to create a social environment that can compel people to come to the help of others.

We have to realize that most likely none of the 18 people who passed by the victim were bad persons. A sense of guilt kept one of them awake almost all the night. Another passer-by donated some money for Yue Yue.

There have been many incidents of kind-hearted people getting into trouble for helping others - some have been accused of causing injuries. Only if society guarantees that good Samaritans will not be falsely accused of wrongdoing will people once again extend a helping hand to others.

The current reward system for people "ready to help others for a just cause" should be strictly adhered to, for it will bring forward more good Samaritans. Also, laws and government efforts to promote altruism should be strictly implemented to encourage more non-governmental organizations and the public to support and appreciate good deeds.

(China Daily 10/21/2011 page9)