Dr. Matiur Rahman & Shishir Reza :
Rapid urbanization and industrialization are fueling juvenile delinquency in Bangladesh. The problem is as old as it started to begin with the influence of industrialization in the present-day developed country. A rapid change in the type of family structure is creating an environment conducive to an increase in juvenile delinquency. The risky environment of cities and slums is a fertile ground for juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency is one of the most multifaceted social problems in afflicted Bangladesh.
Determining the exact definition of juvenile delinquency is quite difficult. However, criminologists and sociologists have tried to define it in many ways. In a general sense, juvenile delinquency is a violation of established social values and rules by teenagers. It is a special type of abnormal or anti-social behavior committed by adolescents below the age limit prescribed by law. Juvenile delinquency is all forms of anti-social behavior that is against the law.
The nature and characteristics of juvenile delinquency are varied. Adolescents are easily overwhelmed with their surroundings and influenced in a short period without any logical purpose. It is just for curiosity or to express themselves in public. Sometimes, adolescents become emotionally involved in a crime without thinking about its consequences. In Bangladesh, there are various social problems such as poverty, unemployment, drug addiction, child labour, etc. which lead an adolescent more often to be involved in juvenile delinquency.
The extent and depth of juvenile delinquency are greater in urban areas than in rural areas. In urban areas juvenile gang has become a serious matter of panic for ordinary people. The crime tendencies among the juvenile delinquents are found as disobedience of parents and teachers and leaving home without their permission; not showing respect to the elderly; teasing school-going girls; demonstrating extreme rudeness on the street or locality; travelling without a ticket by bus or train; beatings, robberies, harassment on the streets; running away from school, cheating in exams and making noise without any reason; incompatible physical relations; playground fights, antisocial conversations, cyber bullying, etc.
Sociologists and criminologists have identified different causes of juvenile delinquency from different perspective such as hereditary, biological, geographical, economic, environmental, political, and administrative and so on. There are other reasons as well – loss of social bonds; lack of proper socialization; lack of social, religious and moral education; social lawlessness; corruption; imitation; dominance of foreign culture; lack of conducive environment in educational institutions; unequal living of rich-poor; lack of proper entertainment; and misapplication of the law, etc. Moreover, during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the closures of all educational institutions for a long time, a large portion of the students dropped out and was involved in juvenile delinquency.
At present juvenile delinquency is not limited to traditional crimes. Rather its branches in many new types of criminal activities have gained prominence. Internet or the use of social media is also a medium for criminal activities for juvenile delinquents. The current situation of juvenile delinquency with anti-social work is extremely worrying. But in most cases, teenagers are not to blame for the problem. Due to the changing social, political, economic and cultural context juvenile delinquency is on the rise. Thus, if proper actions have not been taken to deal with juvenile delinquency, it will take horrible forms very soon.
Experts have suggested the following measures in dealing with juvenile delinquency. Those are the family environment should be made suitable for the development of proper personality of children and adolescents; parents need to pay attention to the basic needs of children and adolescents; strict legislation to control or stop showing pornography through internet or other medium in the country; banned internet based games which are harmful for adolescent; adolescent need to be provided with pure entertainment; moral and religious education should be provided in the family, schools and other institutions ; poor teenagers need to be established in the society through vocational training; teachers and parents have to play an ideal role in shaping the character of teenagers; the use and exploitation of child labor must be stopped, and appropriate education must be provided to them; appropriate planning ensuring that the settlement is not exhausted, dirty and overcrowded; proper residential plans must be adopted for slum dwellers; it is necessary to change the existing punitive and corrective measures for the trial of juvenile delinquents; the judiciary needs to be strengthened; local political leaders should avoid to use teenagers in the political activities; modernization of correctional system for juvenile delinquents and the rehabilitation of abandoned, neglected children and adolescents, mass awareness raising program involving community people about the bad impact of juvenile delinquency with collaboration of government and NGOs; etc.
(Dr. Matiur Rahman, Research Consultant, Human Development Research Centre Dhaka and Shishir Reza: Environmental Analyst &Associate Member, Bangladesh Economic Association).
