A group of parents are meeting this week in South Carolina to discuss how to put an end to hazing in American universities.

It is a two day gathering for parents who have lost children to hazing, better known in New Zealand as initiations, after four people in the past year were killed while doing this.

Steve Merczynski told Larry Williams several parents from those who were killed are going to get together to change what goes on in these colleges on a national level.

"Come up with ideas to show strength in numbers like these family members are doing with the school shootings, and trying to push some kind of legislation in congress."

US Today reports that the parents make up the families of 16 young men who died taking part in the activity. 

Four pledges died during hazing in 2017 alone. 

One fratenity was disbanded by a court order in January and ordered to pay over US$112,000 in reparation to the family.