WHEN children under the age of 15 run rampant in the dead of night without the knowledge of their parents or guardians, alarm bells should be set ringing.
We cannot sweep this unbecoming behaviour under the carpet and hope that all will end well.
In the West, juvenile delinquents are involved in violent (murder, rape, gang robbery without fire arms) and property (theft of vehicles, snatch thefts and house break-ins) crimes.
Our juvenile delinquents are budding into rebels without a cause and getting involved in illegal cycling (basikal lajak) and racing in the dead of night. Some are involved in crimes.
And the sad thing is that parents are unaware of their whereabouts and misdeeds. According to crime statistics, there were 1,632 cases involving students a few years ago, from which 542 were violent crimes and 1,090 were property crimes.
The highest number arrested were those aged between 16 and 18.
It has been found that there are several hundred teenagers living on the streets in Kuala Lumpur.
Youths as young as 15 years old were found living in dilapidated, pest-infested abandoned buildings with the homeless, drug pushers and pimps.
These young people, who should be in the safe confines of their home and attending school, were running around in the concrete jungle surviving on petty crimes, drugs and prostitution.
Most of these street children come from broken homes and had run away from abusive parents and step parents.
Some children were abandoned by their parents, who are helpless and unable to control the disruptive behaviour of the children.
These juvenile delinquents cannot be charged in the court of law because they do not know the consequences of their actions.
So what do we do with these children who are involved in criminal activities?
Thank goodness for correctional institutes such as the Henry Gurney School in Malacca, which is like a prison where juvenile delinquents spend time and are reformed to turn over a new leaf.
Apart from being a correctional institute, it is also similar to a school where inmates resume their education.
With dedicated and committed teachers, many inmates from the school have furthered their studies to tertiary level education.
When the students leave the school, they are fully reformed and it is up to parents, families and society to accept them and give them a second chance at life.
The family unit plays an integral and significant role in the physical, mental, spiritual and social development of children.
Most of the wayward behaviour comes from broken homes where parents have divorced or are separated.
Though not every broken family produces dysfunctional children, but almost every such child is the product of a broken family.
Violence begins and ends at home and children learn through observation and exposure at home. Violence begets violence.
Parents and schools have to be more responsible and actively involved in the social and intellectual development of the children.
They have to monitor the children’s activities and instil a culture of care and concern.
Samuel Yesuiah
Seremban