Youths are the future. And is this future in safe hands?
In the last few decades, there has been a growing concern about juvenile crime rates. Juvenile delinquency/crimes is the act of participating in a crime or an unlawful act by minors( below 18 years, in most countries). Recent research has shown that there is an alarming increase in the involvement of children in crimes. Young children are at a higher risk of becoming delinquent in difficult circumstances. These crimes include; murder, rape, burglary, assault, vandalism, drug abuse and many more.
What are the causes?
There are various reasons for the surge in juvenile crime rates, the major reason being illiteracy and unemployment. Lack of education leads youth into criminal activities, and due to illiteracy, they are unable to secure good jobs. Unemployment is a great cause of frustration among young adults and forces them to commit crimes to fend for themselves. According to a survey, 60% of the criminals are unemployed.
However, learning begins at home. Deteriorating family values and poor family behaviour also contribute to teenage crimes. Being exposed to domestic violence, preoccupied parents with a criminal background and their indifferent attitude affects the child to drastic steps. According to Laurence Steinberg's book Adolescence, the two largest predictors of juvenile delinquency are parenting styles and peer group association. When a child is in a bad company they will learn and implement the same.
In other cases, youths, who were victims of violence or bullying in the past, also have a probability of indulging in a crime of violence. In addition to this, poor socioeconomic status, lack of discipline, feelings of inferiority, and peer rejection may also encourage teenagers into delinquency. It is also found that most juvenile delinquents suffer from stress and severe mental illnesses.
The youth is regarded to be one of the greatest assets of any country. And if their involvement in crimes keeps increasing, it will soon be a major threat to society.
So, what is the solution?
Juvenile crime is one of the world's biggest problems. There are policies to regulate and rehabilitate these young offenders. But as a society, we have to take charge to remedy this issue. We have a moral and ethical responsibility to provide all children with a healthy environment to study and grow in. More awareness programs should come up to highlight the importance of education in one’s life. Especially higher education that can provide more employment opportunities to the youngsters. Parents should be more supportive and understanding of their children. There is a need for increased awareness and availability of substance abuse education and treatment, family counselling, youth mentoring, parenting education, educational support, and youth sheltering.
As Fredrick Douglass said, It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. Hence, Early intervention helps decrease the risk of young people becoming serious and violent criminals.
In conclusion, for safeguarding our future, we need to divert youth from violence, thefts, and other such crimes. It should be our priority to eradicate this practice from society and control the problem of Juvenile Delinquency. We should be amenable and try to educate, employ and socialize them in the best possible manner. After all, they are the future.