Not pulp fiction: More kids rape, kill & steal

It is said that the future of any country depends on its youth. However, with the juvenile delinquency graph showing an upward trend in the state, it becomes a matter of concern for the society.  

Experts blame lack of supervision on the parents’ part for the rise of such cases.
“In their moulding years, it is very important that children are given the right basics and taught the rights and wrongs of life. If parents do not point children in the right direction, there is a 100% possibility of the child becoming a nuisance to society. However, along with parents, the society also plays a very important role in shaping children,” said a source.

Maharashtra ranks among the top states when it comes to violent crimes committed by juveniles. With 106 rape cases against juveniles, the state is at number four in the country. The top three with the highest number of rape cases against juveniles are Madhya Pradesh (284), Uttar Pradesh (123) and Rajasthan (109).   

It gets worse: In the number of murders committed by juveniles, Maharashtra stands second with 183 cases, while MP ranks number one with 197 cases of the total 1169 cases registered across the country. When it comes to attempted murders, the state is at the top with 188 cases, followed by MP with 184. 

Also, according to the statistics provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of juvenile girls taking to crime is also increasing. While the number stood at 1,978 in 2011, it increased to 2,058 in 2012.

Across the country, NCRB figures show that last year 35,123 juveniles were caught on the wrong side of the law as compared to 33,887 in 2011.

What drives children to commit crimes? The source adds when children see others of their age flashing expensive gadgets, it creates in them an urge to own such things. This often leads to the child taking the wrong path.

“It is not wrong of a juvenile to get attracted to expensive products, but the onus is on the parents to make him realise from childhood what they can afford and what they cannot. It takes a lot of patience to explain this to a child, but it has been observed that once the children accept these terms, they stick to them,” the source added.

Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty says, “Blame it on corruption and the low conviction rate. What kids get to see is people committing crime, making crores by duping others and in many cases, getting away scot free. So, for them, it is an easy way to climb the money ladder without really having to do anything.”