The ManicaPost
Asst Insp Chananda
We have over the past looked at crimes committed against children but then there is often the converse side where children engage in criminal activities. We acknowledge here then that children are sometimes at the receiving end of crime both as victims and as perpetrators.
A point to note is that the tendency for children to commit crime is primarily based on the family. The neighbourhood and the rest of the people often contribute to the demise of the children by taking advantage of their vulnerability arising from the children’s various family backgrounds and dispositions. We need to seriously look into ways by which we can protect the children from committing crime as well as curb those crimes committed by children.
The country’s Constitution recognises a ‘Child’ as any person below the age of 18 years. Some legislation stipulates particular age specifications for their own purposes. It is therefore any parent’s responsibilities to ensure we familiarise ourselves with provisions of the law in relation to the conduct of children.
In Manicaland, province most common offences committed by children include Malicious Damage to property, theft, Contraventions of the Dangerous Drugs Act, Sexual offences among others. It is very sad to note that the majority of children that get involved in criminal activities do not do so willingly. We should then endeavour to adopt practices that protect them from anything that either introduces them to crime or promote criminal activities to those that have at some point had a stint with crime.
Some contributing factors have been seen to be the following:-
l Children who live in families with estranged relationships. The hostilities found within the set up often result in children turning to criminal activity.
l Allowing them access to material that is harmful to their mental/ emotional growth. Such material may be contained in videos or media that celebrate criminal acts like robbery, violence or some other crime.
l Parents/guardians who have a tendency of sending children on errands that lead them to frequenting premises that are ordinarily restricted to entry by children. Some owners of these premises promote the practice by allowing the children such entry.
l Certain criminal activities performed in the presence of children often entice children to follow suit. These include public gambling, illegal drinking of alcohol at undesignated places (public drinking), public fighting among others.
l A more serious concern is that of involving children during the commission of crime. We have had incidences where parents who cultivate dagga in fields and gardens at home actually sent their children to water the plants while some go to an extent of hiding items that are subject of crime on the children as a way of evading police searches or arrest.
l Then there are those parents who neglect children and leave them to figure out for themselves how they can make ends meet. The children often find themselves in conflict with the law during the process of trying to etch out a living.
These are only a few of situations that have seen our children turning out to be criminals. Other examples are where people leave lethal weapons within reach of children which result in fatal shootings.
It is therefore important for parents, guardians, and everyone else to ensure we take conscious steps to protect our children from having a brush with the law at least at such early stages in life.
Our justice system has ensured that those children that have committed crime are given an opportunity to reform by not subjecting them to conditions that further dent their innocence or develop them into hardened criminals.
Inserted by : ZRP Manicaland Press and Public Relations
