Addressing juvenile delinquency

We often come across media reports of youngsters getting involved in crimes. They are engaged in gang violence, stalking, rape, extortion and the list goes on, indicating that moral values in society are on the decline. Law enforcers alone cannot bring the situation under control. Parents and schools have a major role to play. They should instil ethical values in children from an early stage.

People from all walks of life should come forward to help our teenagers so that they do not go to the dogs. For this, the government can take an initiative to establish youth clubs across the country. The aim of the project would be to implant sensitivity, empathy and values among the adolescents. Every upazila should have a functional youth club. And the teenagers should be in charge of the club management. Apart from organising debates and cultural programmes, the members of the club should also get an opportunity to get involved in various sports. And each club has to be provided with free sports equipment, books, newspapers and others. Besides these clubs, the sincere role of the family and the law enforcement department is also desirable in preventing the rise of juvenile delinquency and creation of gangs.

Ashikujaman Syed,

Research Assistant,

Bioinformatics Research Lab,

Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID),

syedashikujaman@yahoo.com