Juvenile refers to a person who has attained the age of 13, and he is under 16 years; that is a young person who is not yet an adult.
Delinquency is a minor crime, especially that committed by young people.
The Nigeria constitution of 1979 defines juvenile delinquency as a crime committed by a young person under the age of 18 years as a result of trying to comply with the wishes of his peers or to escape from parental pressure or certain emotional stimulation.
Before a youth in Nigeria is classified as a delinquent, s/he must have been arraigned before a juvenile court and proved to be guilty of an offence.
Juvenile delinquency is seen as a menace that destroys life and property in our society.
Because of the nature of the crime committed by juveniles, parents, guidance, sponsor, and well-wishers are worried and disturbed about our future leaders.
Crimes associated with juveniles include rape, stealing, kleptomania, burglary, disobedience, cultism, armed robbery, etc.
Armed robbery: it is defined as the crime of stealing money or goods from a bank, shop, store, person, etc. especially using violence or threat. It also involves the use of arms or weapons to instill fear and force victims to unwillingly submit their money and goods.
Rape: This is simply a crime of forcing somebody to have sex with him/her especially using threat or violence. It means having carnal knowledge of a person without his or her consent.
Truancy: This means a practice of staying away from school or habitually skipping classes without permission.
Drug abuse: It is literally the abuse of drug substances, or taking drugs that are either illegal, banned, not prescribed by a medical practitioner, or over-using the drugs to achieve personal pleasure.
Governmental and voluntary organisations should be involved in the following ways.
1. Greater thought should be given to setting up more amenities in rural areas. Rural-urban migration has led to over-concentration in the urban areas, bottleneck competition for limited resources, and consequently an increase in crime rates.
The provision of amenities like good roads, transport networks, schools, and hospitals help curb juvenile delinquency tendencies.
2. Stoppage of pornographic films and some American films, where our youths learn techniques for stealing and destroying properties.
3. Parents should adopt methods of positive and negative reinforcement.
4. Government should educate or enlighten parents on the effects of unmet needs like starvation (food), parental care and affection, etc. on their children to enable them (parents) to make adjustments.
5. The academic curriculum should include coupling and health education to nip problems in the bud even before they occur.
Yakubu is of Kano Capital Boys Secondary School, Kano
