Juvenile Delinquency

The misled behaviour of today’s youth ignites in me the urge to put forth my views on the currently burning issue, ’Juvenile Delinquency.’ Yes, my dear friends, even though we believe to be living in a free country, it still remains to be a delusion. The youth of free India is in the strong grip of a delinquent attitude. Mental ill health, unsatisfied wants, unfavourable conditions are some of the figured out reasons for delinquent acts among the non-adult population of the country.

Delinquency is a behaviour by non-adults which violates specific legal norms with sufficient frequency, so as to provide a firm basis for legal action against the behaving individual or group.

Miller and Others

What makes me sad is not just the increasing rate of crimes among the juveniles, but the fact that not much is done to bring them back on the right path. Cases of rape, theft, murder, physical abuse, verbal un-welcomed advances are of frequent appearance in the newspapers as well as on the T.V. channels. What is really shocking to me is that in most of the cases, children below the age of 18 are held responsible! The most recent example is of the Delhi Gang Rape case, when the sixth offender  was declared a juvenile. The matter brought huge shame on the nation as the capital city turned out to be so unsafe for the female population.

Ordinances are being passed to put a hold on the crimes by the juveniles. The newspaper of 5 February, 2020 also revealed that the matters such as lowering the age limit of juveniles would require consensus as well as a separate bill. The Supreme Court also has decided to examine the definition of a juvenile under the Juvenile Justice Act. The Government launched a new helpline for women. It has also decided to recruit more women in the police force. These are some of the measures of the exhaustive action plan that the government has come out in the aftermath of the brutal Delhi Gang Rape incident. The ministries have already been directed to monitor the implementation of these measures.

But I still wait for something to be strongly done with regards to the juvenile offenders. The future of the country lies in the hands of its youth. And I hope that something will surely be done to improve the present state of affairs. With a positive note, I conclude saying, “Hands that serve are holier than lips that pray.” So let us not just pray but really put our thoughts to action to reveal the hidden goodness in every offender so that they may find the true aim of their life.

Richa Singh is a student pursuing Economic Honors from Jamia Millia Islamia.