Parental neglect breeding criminals
Several minor offenders come from broken families
It was a wayward youngster who had turned into terror suspect in Lucknow. Saifullah’s grieving father was so disturbed with what his son had become, he refused to accept his son’s body after a 12hour standoff with counter-terror units in the city.
But parents’ neglect towards their children create young criminals in Hyderabad too.
Eleven-year old Kumar (name changed) was baffled when he ended up in a correctional home for boys at Saidabad. He was not aware of the gravity of the crime he had committed. Police had booked a case against him for molestation and attempt to rape. Kumar’s victim was a five-year-old girl.
In the first session with a psychologist, Kumar was scared, confused and totally in denial of his action. But in the days that followed, the counsellor gradually earned his confidence, and he started opening up about what motivated him to commit the crime. “What pushed him was an obsession with porn. Unattended by his parents, he used to hang out with older boys who took him to Internet cafes, where they watched porn,” the psychologist said.
His parents knew nothing of his habit. “The habit prompted him to experiment and try out what he had seen online. He molested the girl without knowing the consequences,” said the psychologist.
There are several hundred ‘juveniles in conflict with the law’ — the technical term for underage offenders. Many have been neglected by parents and have received no guidance.
Workers at the Juvenile Justice department say over 70 per cent of children at correctional homes in Hyderabad come from broken families or were neglected by their parents. A large number of teens involved in narcotics cases, thefts, bodily offences, rapes and other criminal offences grew up without proper parental care. A substantial number of runaway children also end up in correctional facilities after being arrested by the police for offences they have committed.
A 17-year-old recently caught in a narcotics case had an alcoholic father who quarelled with his mother frequently. Three teenagers from Chandrayangutta, who were arrested for sodomising a minor boy, spent most of their time on the streets rather than in their homes.
“Neglected by their parents at an age when they need the most care, protection and guidance, the kids tend to seek company in the streets. They drop out from school and end up with older boys who prompt them to commit offences. This is a regular pattern we have observed,” said V. Padmavathi, member of the Child Welfare Committee.