Putting a check on juvenile crime need of the hour
Technological advancement in every sphere of our life has also led to an uptrend in juvenile crime. With new technology has come numerous methods of crime affecting growing children.
The crimes committed by juveniles today are not merely petty thefts but heinous crimes like murder, rape and robbery.
Child crime is a term used for the misdemeanours done by children under 18. However, with the increasing severity of crimes and swift mental and physical growth of the children, the age for juvenile delinquency should be under 16.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2011, around 33,887 juveniles were arrested in UP, out of those 64% were between 16 and 18 while the rest belonged to the age group of 12 to 16 and 7 to 12. There is a rapid increase in the percentage of juvenile crime. For instance, there were 20 rape cases and 52 murder cases reported in 2007. The figure increased to 152 rape cases and 111 murder cases in 2011.
The basic reason behind the increasing crime rate is ‘behavioural transgression’. At this age, they are neither mature enough to handle all situations nor do they let their elders interfere in their lives.
Easy accessibility to technology has provided them an uncontrolled entrée into the world of felony. Sometimes peer pressure, the desire to earn quick money and to become famous in no time too drag the youngsters to the world of crime.
Nuclear families and less interaction amongst parents and children also create behavioural contraventions which result either in depression or in aggression. If it’s depression, the children harm themselves while in aggression they hurt others and find pleasure in doing wrong activities.
Sometimes, the antagonistic attitude of family members and the domestic violence affect the youngsters passively. The hardships of life compel them to act negatively as well as the feelings of helplessness and frustration lead them towards illegal activities.
To reduce the juvenile crime rate, the most important role can be played by the family. The family can inculcate a sense of responsibility in the children.
The fulfilment of the needs is always necessary but the parents should know what they are providing and how the child is utilizing that resource.
A moderate level of parental interference in the lives of children is always recommended. Home is the first classroom to learn the lessons of life, a respectable and loving attitude towards each other creates a positive atmosphere for children to grow.
Adding to that the schools and the society can also play a remarkable role in correcting and helping them to grow up into a respectable and responsible citizen.
Dr Sadaf Fareed is an educationist and a freelance writer