adminCASES of daring teenagers committing serious crimes continue to make sad reading each passing day.
So dire is the situation that a collective effort is needed to save our youngsters from this new cancer.
It’s a cancer spreading like a veld fire.
Daily, H-Metro carries stories of daring teens committing crimes like murder, rape, indecent assault, robbery and theft.
Some of them have become drug peddlers, which makes sad reading.
Others are now rotting in jail after being convicted of serious crimes.
This should be an indication that our youngsters need serious help to desist from criminal activities.
As a nation, we should be worried how most of these teens, who should be in school, have become daring criminals. Something must be wrong with how we are raising our children who should be ambitious, and exemplary, in life.
Research has shown that lack of ambition, peer pressure and the love for material things are some of the factors driving teens to engage in criminal activities.
As parents/guardians, it’s high time we put our heads together and ensure we educate our teens to desist from criminal activities.
In yesterday’s issue, we had two sad stories of teenage crimes now trending on social media. The saddest involved a 16-year-old schoolboy who allegedly stabbed to death another schoolboy; after a dispute.
In another case, we had a 19-year-old being jailed three years for robbing a Judicial Service Commission research official, using a toy gun.
Both cases involving the teens are not only worrisome but a cause for concern.
It also shows that these cases were premeditated before they were committed. We can’t afford to ignore these cases, which are tainting the image of our country.
While most youngsters are exposed to criminals in our society, this should never be an excuse for them to be caught on the wrong side of the law.
As parents, we need to mould our youngsters to be responsible, at household level. Teens should be shown the way to differentiate between what is wrong and what is right.
There is also need for parents/guardians to monitor their children’s behaviour, tastes and wishes, at a young age. As parents, we should also be cautious and aware of the things they require in life.
In cases where they demand something beyond our budgets, we should find a polite way of telling them.
Spoiling kids is also another problem, which can drive them into crime, when we fall on hard times.
School authorities should also play their part in moulding our children since they spend a lot of their time at learning institutions.
At community level, we should also seek the services of experts to help us in addressing crime.
We need to keep our teens busy, doing sporting or entertainment activities, to ensure they don’t have time to think of crime.
Let’s join hands to ensure that we are not grooming a generation of criminals but good people who will take our nation forward when they take leadership positions.
After all, they are the future of this country.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter