Juvenile delinquency is corroding the moral fabric of the nation

A BRUTAL cancer is corroding the moral fabric of the nation in the form of juvenile delinquency. The trend is so frightening in what it portends and clearly shows that our moral barometer as a nation is falling rapidly.

As a result of juvenile delinquency, scores of amoral youths in the country — in both urban and rural areas — are now entrapped in the web of alcoholism, drug and substance abuse, teen pregnancy, crime, sexual immorality, violence and many other vile activities. As an elderly parent, I am really appalled by the lack of good behaviour among many youths today.

As I was preparing this article, I paid an impromptu visit to a beer garden in Entumbane suburb. At the beer garden, I saw some boys and girls drinking highly intoxicating alcoholic drinks — Mint Ice Cane Spirit, Star Brandy, Hudson Whiskey, etc. According to one beer garden cashier, these boys and girls included primary school learners. What added salt to the wound is that they were also smoking cigarettes and marijuana (cannabis sativa). I also witnessed some of the boys relieving themselves against trees, while some of the girls lifted their skirts and squatted behind trees to relieve themselves. This was done in broad daylight and in full view of many elderly people who were at the beer garden.

This now raises the obvious question: But what is the root cause of the flood of juvenile delinquency, which is wreaking havoc on our moral and cultural values as a nation? This is a question that is boiling in the hearts and minds of many people today.

Most researchers are unanimous in their assertion that juvenile delinquency has its roots in the home, where children are born and nurtured, and the solution must come from home. The researchers further state that the personality and temperament of a child are firmly established in the first few years of life and lay the foundation for a child’s future. This is true. “Charity begins at home,” says an ancient English adage. Parents are the very ones who can do the most to develop the right attitudes and habits in their children. They (parents) have a sacred obligation to inculcate right moral values in their children even before they attain school-going age. They must teach their children the appropriate code of conduct which, according to some sober, discerning and analytical marriage and child counsellors, is the best guarantee of a well-adjusted adulthood. Children need someone to look up to –— models from whom they can learn to develop sound moral and ethical standards.

“Children are entitled to be reared by parents who honour marital vows with complete fidelity. How sad it is that nowadays many parents are failing to fulfil their parental responsibilities in rearing their children. Feeling betrayed by their own parents, more and more children are now being influenced by peer pressure. Peer pressure is a monster that parents must confront when their children enter the tumultuous teenage years. If parents are to effectively counteract hurtful peer pressure, they must build a close relationship with their children. This relationship must be started early in a child’s life and built over the years.

Human life is no accident. We were created for a purpose and this purpose is revealed in the Holy Bible, which is our Instruction Manual from the Creator God,” said one Christian theologian.
He further explained that parents are responsible for their children’s wayward behaviour.

“Parents have no choice but to shoulder the blame because they set the example. In our research, we found that youths who abuse drugs and alcohol often point to their parents’ addiction to these substances. Children are natural mimics and learn from example more than from words. Parental example is a critical factor in rearing children. Children, and even teenagers, are influenced more by their parents than by anyone else — including their peers. Parents are in the primary position to guide their children in the right way — provided, of course, they practice what they preach.

“If parents are rude and aggressive, their children will think that’s the correct way to behave. On the other hand, if they are courteous and respectful, their children will also be courteous and respectful. If a father arrives home drunk late at night every day, and physically, emotionally and verbally attacks their mother, his children will view this as normal behaviour. And if a mother fails to feed her children regularly, she should not be shocked if they steal from street vendors and neighbours. A solid moral base in the home will help to keep children anchored to sound moral principles even when they are faced with hurtful peer pressure.”

Almighty God, the Creator of everything — the stars, the galaxies in endless space, the earth, mankind and everything in the earth, did not leave us in ignorance of how we should conduct ourselves during this mortal phase of our existence. He gave us the Decalogue or 10 Commandments. This perfect law forms the basis of all human relationships and our relationship with the very God who created us. A husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. The Holy Bible, which is the authoritative Word of God, reveals that, “Children are a heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another. Most importantly, in rearing children, Christian parents should use the Holy Bible as their guide, their manual of instruction and guidebook in their daily activities.

It is crucially important to stress that when God thundered the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai, He demonstrated His great power as the Creator by sending forth thunderings and lightnings, and literally shaking Mount Sinai as if it were a wet dishrag (Exodus 19 verse 16-18). One of the commandments that the Eternal God thundered from the top of Mount Sinai is the fifth commandment, which says: “Honour your father and your mother: so that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord has given you.”

It is the view expressed by most Christian researchers that obedience to this commandment can automatically result in the building of habits and attitudes which prolong a person’s life. The researchers further state that a child trained to obey God’s commandments will avoid recklessness, violence, criminal activities, alcoholism, sexual immorality, cigarette smoking, drug and substance abuse and other vile activities which, according to the researchers, often result in untimely death.

In wrapping up this discussion, it is crucially important to point out that by direct implication, parents are bound by the fifth commandment to make themselves honourable. For to be honoured, one must be honourable. Parents should live lives worthy of their children’s deep respect and reverence. As their children mature, parents should instruct them about the existence of Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth and the sovereign ruler of the entire universe.

Christian parents should teach their children to honour and obey God, their spiritual Father, with even more implicit faith and love than they do their earthly parents. For the greatest lesson that a child or anyone else can be taught is that of fear and obedience to Almighty God — the One who created heaven and earth. The Scriptures show that Jesus Christ, who is our perfect example as Christians, lived the message He taught. His own personal life is a dramatic illustration of obedience to God’s Commandments. Just before His death, Jesus Christ said: “I have kept my Father’s commandments” (John 15 verse 10).

Through obedience to His Heavenly Father, and to His human parents as well, Jesus Christ grew in wisdom and maturity even as a youth. I rest my pen.

Cuthbert Mavheko is a freelance journalist and theologian. He can be contacted on 0773863448 or by email at [email protected]