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Source: The Times of India dated 16.1.2014
Bangalore: While legal eagles and lawmakers debate over the quantum of punishment and benefit of age for juvenile offenders, an emerging trend begs for attention – the number of such offenders is on a steady rise in the country. Going by stats, 75,801 cases were registered against juveniles for various offences between 2010 and 2012. If this isn’t shocking enough, rape tops the table of heinous crimes committed by juveniles in the country.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) assessed the data while looking at crimes like murder, attempt to murder, homicide not amounting to murder, rape and abduction. In the same period, an alarming 3,182 cases were registered against juveniles committing rape. What’s even more worrisome is that the statistical graph heads northward year after year. In 2010, 858 rape cases involved juveniles; this rose to 1,149 in 2011, and in 2012, the year Nirbhaya met with her brutal fate, 1,175 cases were reported.
Close on the heels of rape is murder. A total of 2,557 juveniles committed murder during the three years, with the highest number recorded in 2012 (990). 2011 and 2012 registered 888 and 679 cases, respectively.
There were 2,073 and 2,061 cases of people below the age of 18 involved in kidnapping and abduction, and attempted murder during the three years, while 134 of them committed homicide.
Overall, of the 75,801 cases registered during the three years, 10,007 were classified as heinous crimes, accounting for more than 13% of the total figure. While the reasons are many and varying, expert opinions converge at a point – there’s a problem with the way we interact with people.
Says Sudha Sitaram, a Bangalore-based sociologist: “Something is fundamentally wrong in the way we socialize. It seems flawed, allowing people to view women in a way that encourages them to hurt or even destroy them.”
Psychologist Sulata Shenoy, while arguing that an adolescent mind doesn’t worry about consequences, stressed on the need for sex education among children. “We keep turning a blind eye to the problem and think such things don’t happen in our society. But look at the statistics. We need to educate the youth about their sexual identity, disseminate information about how to deal with biological changes and protect themselves,” she said.
Times View:While crimes grow more heinous, and the age of offenders grows younger, it is time to ask a few questions and find answers. Is something wrong with the education system, home values, socializing and cultural mores, or even new-age entertainment? While it could be a bit of all these and other factors, our nature-nurture influences need to be changed subtly. Sex education both at home and in school is necessary for young boys. Our criminal justice system also needs a change: some harsh punishment could put fear into offenders, and deter crime.
Rape tops juvenile crimes
1,175 Such Cases Reported The Year Nirbhaya Died
Chethan Kumar TNN
Bangalore: While legal eagles and lawmakers debate over the quantum of punishment and benefit of age for juvenile offenders, an emerging trend begs for attention – the number of such offenders is on a steady rise in the country. Going by stats, 75,801 cases were registered against juveniles for various offences between 2010 and 2012. If this isn’t shocking enough, rape tops the table of heinous crimes committed by juveniles in the country.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) assessed the data while looking at crimes like murder, attempt to murder, homicide not amounting to murder, rape and abduction. In the same period, an alarming 3,182 cases were registered against juveniles committing rape. What’s even more worrisome is that the statistical graph heads northward year after year. In 2010, 858 rape cases involved juveniles; this rose to 1,149 in 2011, and in 2012, the year Nirbhaya met with her brutal fate, 1,175 cases were reported.
Close on the heels of rape is murder. A total of 2,557 juveniles committed murder during the three years, with the highest number recorded in 2012 (990). 2011 and 2012 registered 888 and 679 cases, respectively.
There were 2,073 and 2,061 cases of people below the age of 18 involved in kidnapping and abduction, and attempted murder during the three years, while 134 of them committed homicide.
Overall, of the 75,801 cases registered during the three years, 10,007 were classified as heinous crimes, accounting for more than 13% of the total figure. While the reasons are many and varying, expert opinions converge at a point – there’s a problem with the way we interact with people.
Says Sudha Sitaram, a Bangalore-based sociologist: “Something is fundamentally wrong in the way we socialize. It seems flawed, allowing people to view women in a way that encourages them to hurt or even destroy them.”
Psychologist Sulata Shenoy, while arguing that an adolescent mind doesn’t worry about consequences, stressed on the need for sex education among children. “We keep turning a blind eye to the problem and think such things don’t happen in our society. But look at the statistics. We need to educate the youth about their sexual identity, disseminate information about how to deal with biological changes and protect themselves,” she said.
Times View:While crimes grow more heinous, and the age of offenders grows younger, it is time to ask a few questions and find answers. Is something wrong with the education system, home values, socializing and cultural mores, or even new-age entertainment? While it could be a bit of all these and other factors, our nature-nurture influences need to be changed subtly. Sex education both at home and in school is necessary for young boys. Our criminal justice system also needs a change: some harsh punishment could put fear into offenders, and deter crime.
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