Juvenile Crimes in India: Ways to bring the graph down

The number of juvenile delinquents in India was29.5 lakh in 2015. The charges mostly included murder, rape, and theft. Two years down the line, the condition has only gotten worse. A report prepared by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)shows that nearly 90% of the juveniles hail from households that have an income of less than Rs 1 lakhannually. Also, the results showed a pattern ofrecidivism, which means that many of these minors were repeat offenders. The question that arises then: who or what is responsible for such a disappointing scenario?

Experts who specialize in child psychology believe that in today’s fast-paced world, teenagers are quite vulnerable to stray. There are multiple reasons that often drive young individuals to commit a crime. These may include lack of primary education, broken relationships, financial troubles, peer pressure, physical abuse, drug addiction, trauma, mental issues, and so on.

Moreover, it is a fact that parents are unable to devote much time to their children nowadays. In that case, absence of strong moral guidance becomes a major contributing factor to the development of criminal behavior in children during adolescence or young adulthood. In addition, it is true that children often learn the distinction between right and wrong in theformative years of life. So if goodness is not taught to the child in his growing years, chances are high that he will be inclined towards social crimes. Such children usuallyturn immune to people’s suffering and pain.

As they say, children are the future of a nation, preventingyoung people from committing acts of violenceis theneed of the hour. To start with, school education must be given absolute importance. Also, a tab must be kept on the impact of commercialized mass media on children. Feeding young minds with heavy doses of violence though movies or obscene books brings lifelong harms. Parents, along with teachers and mentors, must introduce children to educational books and programs. This will enable them to distinguish between right and wrong.

Apart from that, communication plays a big role in shaping a child. As parents are getting busier, children are increasingly feeling isolated. Curbing the practice, and setting up an environment where children feel free to share their opinions, thoughts, worries and anxieties with their elders is extremely crucial.

In some cases, parents need to get into the shoes of counselors and help their children overcome certain complexes. This could be because of a physical disability or a mental ailment. Moreover, ensuring that the child is growing up in the right company is an important consideration on the part of parents. This is because being a part of a gang or clique that indulges in negative actions is a major reason behind adolescents exhibitinga delinquent behavior.

Needless to say, young, gullible minds must be offered a positive environmentwith healthy and strong relationships. The right amount of love, care and mentoring can bring in a lot of change.