Special Report

Swelling tide of youth violence

Violent passions are simmering within the nation's youth (below 24 years of age) population, whose number is estimated at a staggering 280 million. Somewhat belatedly edcuators, counsellors, school managements and parents are beginning to address this problem. Gaver Chatterjee reports

-

With a widening mismatch between the requirements of Indian industry and the output of academia precipitating the phenom-enon of ‘jobless growth’ in the Indian economy even as the aggregate number of the registered unemployed has risen to 41 million, violent passions are simmering within the nation’s youth (below 24 years of age) population whose number is estimated at a staggering 280 million. Somewhat belatedly educators, counsellors, school managements and parents are beginning to address this problem. But obtaining reliable statistics from the country’s notoriously corrupt and under-performing police authorities to highlight the palpable phenomenon of rising youth violence is as difficult as extracting water from stone. The well-known reluctance of policemen to formally register cases (unsolved cases expose police ineptitude) apart, EducationWorld correspondents across the country experienced great difficulty in persuading government personnel to release (even patently doctored) official statistics.

However even unreliable statistics of state governments testify to a rising wave of youth violence which bodes ill for Indian society. According to official statistics of the state government of Maharashtra (population: 96.75 million), the percentage of crimes committed by youth rose to 5 percent of total crimes (base number unavailable despite several visits to the police commissioner’s office and the home ministry) registered in 2001-02 — a percentage point higher than in 2000-01. In Karnataka (pop. 56 million) juvenile crimes committed in 2002 as per official state government statistics were a mere — wait for it — 211 when unofficial estimates are 200,000 plus. Ditto in every state of the Indian Union where rosy official statistics do little to quell the rising tide of alarm in Indian society about the urgent need to devise remedial action, given that the nation’s future is dependent upon the stable development of its youth population.

Escalating violence within this potentially productive segment of the population has alarmed Mumbai-based advocate Maharukh Adenwalla, standing counsel of the Legal Aid Society of Maharastra who specialises in providing legal aid and advice to juveniles in children’s (formerly remand) homes and represents young offenders in courts of law. "The rising tide of youth violence across the country is being driven by the consumer and materialist boom following economic liberalisation. The message that is being transmitted to the nation’s youth by cinema, television and other media in an incrementally lawless society, is that the end justifies the means. The affluent are seen as heroes, and role models irrespective of the source of their money," says Adenwalla.

Chugh: huge juvenile crime upsurge

This catholicity of youthful crime often accompanied by violence, has shaped an emerging consensus within social scientists and academics that an about turn in value systems — and neglect of value education — is behind the sharp spurt in juvenile crime across the country. "The pressing need for money in today’s consumerist society, peer pressure and the desire to accumulate material possessions heavily advertised in the media are major factors spurring youth violence. Contemporary youth seek instant gratification while the education system — and a growing number of home environments — fail to emphasise values. Consequently millions of children resort to casual stealing and violence to satisfy their consumerist needs," says Dr. Sabiha Sultana consultant neuropsychologist of Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. A graphic example of such casual crime was illustrated by two 15-year-old class X students in Mumbai who murdered housewife Naina Parmar in May this year to steal money to buy themselves a new motorbike.

"A major share of the blame for youths drifting into delinquency and deadly violence must be laid at the door of people who have designed and developed secondary and even tertiary, syllabuses and curriculums. In their anxiety to prove their secular credentials they have totally neglected ethical, moral education. This has made the nation’s children highly vulnerable to the sensational, perverted and distorted glorification of sex and violence by the media, particularly Indian cinema. Simultaneously double income parents tend to have little time for the moral education of children and neither do portions-chasing teachers. To counter the rising tide of youth violence and self-abuse, schools and colleges must introduce moral, ethical and spiritual education drawing on the examples of Christian missionary, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda schools. It’s wrong to believe that moral education is anti-secular," says Prof. N.S. Ramaswamy founder director NITIE, the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (both in Mumbai), the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and currently promoter-director of the Indian Heritage Academy, Bangalore.

Victor: revive moral education

But if educationists and teachers are being blamed for neglecting moral education, cinema and television producers out to make a quick buck by flooding the media with voyeuristic and violent fare are also being held guilty of provoking young people to stray from the straight and narrow path. According to Dr. Shekar Seshadri, senior professor and consultant, child psychiatry department, National Institute of Mental Health and Nuero Sciences, Bangalore, constant exposure to media violence desensitises children. "Exposure to media — particularly television — violence often prompts impressionable children to imitate violent behaviour and reduces sensitivity to pain and suffering. Following the media explosion of the past two decades, children are exposed to excessive violence in all walks of life. On the other hand it’s very rare for school or college texts to highlight compassion and pity as desirable, socially beneficial virtues. There is excessive glorification of violence and martial behaviour. Educationists and syllabus designers need to include course content which glorifies humanity and kindness rather than acts of violence," he says. This phenomenon was dramatically illustrated in the case of the Mumbai-based Vijai Sharma (16) who after stabbing his mother and stealing the household cash, proceeded to a cinema theatre to watch action-packed Hindi movie Vastaav for the tenth time.

But while educationists and the intellectually bankrupt and unwarrantedly lionised producer-directors of Bollywood and regressive teleserials are blameworthy for glorifying mammon and violence, the parental community is not blameless either. With the population of ‘latch-key’ children multiplying in urban India as a growing number of women join the work force, children coming home to empty, unsupervised homes are tempted to indulge in all manner of experimentation — drugs, violent video games, porno-graphic films etc. "Right upto a decade back the Indian family fabric was strong and resilient; it has become very fragile now," says psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh.

Chennai based Dr. Sabiha Sultana (quoted earlier) also faults career and money-obsessed parents for child neglect. "Conflict at home, neglect of communication with children due to time constraints of parents, dominating parental attitudes all result in children drifting away from parents and falling into bad company," opines Sultana.

Mishra (left): counselling-psychotherapy prescription

Fortunately there is growing awareness within the parent-teacher community about the vital importance of providing child-counselling services in all schools. Two months ago (October) the Parent Teacher Associations United Forum (PTAUF) Mumbai, submitted a memo-randum to Maharashtra’s education secretary demanding the appointment of counsellors in all aided and unaided state examination board affiliated schools. "The counsellor’s role is as important as the teacher’s. We have petitioned the state government to immediately appoint trained student counsellors in all of Maharashtra’s 5,000 plus secondary schools. Let us pray that our mission will be successful," says Arundhati Chavan, president of PTAUF.

Yet given government preoccupation with politicking and the proven indifference of the Central and state governments to socio-economic reform issues, a growing number of educators, counsellors and responsible citizens have begun to promote non-government counselling groups and forums to attend to the socio-psychological needs of young offenders. In Chennai and Mumbai NGOs such as V-Set (estb. 2003) and Change (2002) provide troubled young people with education, career planning, development and legal advice. Prof. M.Z. Shahid, a political science postgraduate of Jabalpur University who teaches the subject at the Maharashtra College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai believes that institutional managements should promote counselling centres and forums without waiting for government help.

Box 1

The V-Set initiative

Promoted in April 2003 by a group of eminent individuals including Swami Muktananda of Anandashram, Kerala and former Supreme Court chief justice M. N. Venkatachalliah, the Vishwa Seva Educational Trust (V-Set) with its registered office at Mumbai, is a non-profit organisation, which has established nine centres across the country.

The objective of V-Set is to spread the message of social values and provide care and counsel to educational institutions. "Man-making is a two-fold process — to excel in one’s field of knowledge through academic exercises and to become a responsible social being through unfolding of human values," says a V-Set spokesperson.

V-Set organises Upadhyaya Sang-amam’s or teachers’ meets to promote value education in schools. Teachers are motivated to weave values into subjects through examples, narratives and social work activism. V-Set also plans to recognise and honour exemplary acts of students exhibiting care and compassion.

The activities of the trust have the endorsement of President Abdul Kalam who met with the V-Set team recently. "Even if one teacher were to focus on values, several students would stand to change. V-Set is engaged in a noble and much-needed activity to build the future of India. A better tomorrow for India is dependent on the youth of today who comprise 20 percent of its current population. India will have a great future if V-Set can impact this segment," says Kalam.

Information about V-Set’s programmes and activities is available on its website: www.vset.org.

Shahid (right): private initiative recommendation

"If we want to prevent children and youth from going astray, schools and colleges should set up forums where disturbed youngsters can be given a patient hearing and guidance. I have constituted a unit of Change in my college. It is a vital necessity to establish counselling cells or forums in all education institutions. Change counsellors also advise parents to make time for their children and provide emotional support to them. Moreover we are debating ways and means to regulate media depiction of crime and violence, especially programmes shown on television and cinema," says Shahid.

But while all of the above are youth crime prevention measures that need to be urgently incorporated into the education system, educati-onists as well as child psychologists are unanimous that the juvenile justice system — which should focus on counselling and rehabilitating youth offenders, requires a complete overhaul. Comments Dr. Harish Shetty, a leading Mumbai psychiatrist and organising secretary of the 4,500 strong Indian Psychiatric Society: "Lack of faith in the mechanisms of redressal and in institutions of justice are undoubtedly contributing to the incremental violence we are witnessing among our youth."

Shetty: faith deficit

But unfortunately in the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 (as in its predecessor enactment) it is not mandatory for state governments to establish shelter homes. Both s.34 and s.37 of the new Act enjoin that state governments "may" establish children’s homes. The discretion given to state governments to set up — or not build — behaviour correction centres for delinquent or abused children is too wide. Little wonder the number of such correctional centres or homes in the nation’s states is much too small.

Nevertheless social scientists and workers are unanimous that the new enactment is a great improvement upon the JJA, 1986 because it emphasises rehabilitation rather than punishment of young offenders. "Though JJA 2000 falls short of expectations it has some redeeming features. For example the preamble accepts the responsibility of the state i.e government, to ‘ensure that all the needs of children are met and that their basic human rights are fully protected’. Secondly the Act provides that the Juvenile Justice Board — the judicial authority for children alleged to be in conflict with law — includes two social workers apart from a magistrate forming a bench. This provides space for bringing about a change in the very nature of an inquiry and can make a significant impact in determining the administration of juvenile justice," says Arlene Manoharan a research associate at the Centre for Child and the Law, a division of the blue chip National Law School of India University, Bangalore.

Box 2

Progressive provisions of Juvenile Justice Act, 2000

Street children in Mumbai

Although the Centre for Child and the Law, a division of the National Law School of India University Bangalore has slammed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 as "a clear example of a law, which is… not even piecemeal social engineering but merely a symbolic exercise undertaken without any grasp of social reality and without any philosophical or ideological base," the general consensus of opinion among social work professionals and activists is that it is an improvement upon its predecessor Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 and related legislation.

Among the salient redeeming features of JJA 2000 are:

l The preamble explicitly refers to constitutional provisions and legal responsibilities of the State to "ensure that all the needs of children are met and that their basic human rights are fully protected".

l The constitution of the Juvenile Justice Board (the judicial authority for children alleged to be in conflict with law) is now a magistrate with a panel of two social workers forming a bench. This changes the very nature of enquiry under JJA 2000. The primary focus of the new Act is why a juvenile accused committed an offence and to propose solutions for redressal.

l For the first time s.39 of the Act clearly states that "restoration (to parents, adopted parents or foster parents) of and protection to a child shall be the prime objective of any children’s home or the shelter home".

l S.63 (2) provides that in every police station there should be "at least one officer with aptitude and appropriate training (who) may be designated as the juvenile or child welfare officer who will handle the juvenile or child in coordination with the police." S.63 (1) recommends the establishment of Special Juvenile Police units in every district and city.

l S.36 provides for social audit of children’s homes by the Central or state governments. This is one of the most radical provisions in the Act as it enables civic society to monitor children’s homes and shelters.

l Under s.31 the protective ambit of the Act has been extended to children upto 18 years of age (cf.16 under JJA, 1986).

l Through a change in terminology from Juvenile Court to Juvenile Justice Board, and through the establishment of Special Juvenile Police Units, the new Act attempts to de-criminalise the juvenile justice system.

l Complete separation of CICWL (Children in conflict with law) from CINOCAP (Children in need of care and protection). Under s.34 CINOCAP are lodged directly in children’s homes while the former are remanded to observation homes.

l Non government and voluntary organisations have been welcomed to promote and manage children’s homes and shelters under the Act (s.45). Moreover NGO-run shelter homes can serve as drop-in centres for children in need of urgent support (s.37).

l For the first time under s.41 the Juvenile Justice Board has been empowered to sanction the adoption of orphaned, abandoned, neglected and abused children following an enquiry report of a probation officer.

Likewise Chandra Thanikachalam a law alumna of the Madurai Kamraj University and currently joint secretary of the Tamil Nadu chapter of Indian Council for Child Welfare, welcomes JJA 2000 as enlightened rehabilitative legislation. "JJA 2000 is a definite improvement over JJA, 1986. The new law is less judgemental and punitive and encourages the Juvenile Justice Board to investigate the circumstances of children coming into conflict with the law. Now there is a marked difference in the treatment accorded to juvenile criminals and adults. Young offenders are not jailed but lodged in special homes equipped with facilities for their education, training and correction of behavioural problems. If the offence committed is not serious children are returned to their families. And for the first time the board has been empowered to give neglected and abandoned children into adoption, even to single parents," says Thanikachalam.

Mazumdar: heart rending tales

According to Mazumdar, committee members have been collectively "banging our heads against a brick wall" to precipitate change in the horrifying living conditions of children’s homes and shelters. "I remember receiving an SOS call from a junior remand home in Ullhas Nagar district late one night. When we reached there we had children touching our feet and begging that ‘the iron rod’ be taken away," she recalls. "Each child had wounds which were left completely untreated following the infliction of continuous corporal punishment. The superintendent was suspended but was transferred to an administrative job in the same home where the children are at high risk of physical and sexual abuse. I know of cases where inmates are made to clean the toilets without phenyl, brushes or brooms. And of cases where girls have run away from shelters only to be brought back and have their heads shaved," claims Mazumdar.

Fr. Praem (second left): juvenile justice system infirmities

Though the causes — and effects — of escalating youth violence which is shaking the ground beneath the feet of the country’s self-satisfied and expanding middle class are varied, at bottom they are rooted in the grossly inadequate annual provision for education which has been a defining characteristic of the spluttering national development effort for the past half century. With a fifth of government primary schools country-wide being single teacher institutions and lacking proper buildings; over half unable to provide drinking water, and three-fourths bereft of toilet facilities, it is hardly surprising that over 60 million children who have dropped out of the government school system don’t believe the ‘education’ on offer is worth their while. And if to this number of disillusioned youth one adds an equivalent population of in-school children who are disappoi-nted with obsolete curriculums and indifferent teaching, it’s hardly surprising that a simmering undercurrent of anger and resentment which is increasingly spilling into irrational violence, threatens to destabilise Indian society.

The antidote to the wave of youth violence within the nation gifted with the world’s youngest and potentially most productive population, is greater provision to deliver universal, quality education in kinder, caring environments with corresponding provision for their healthcare. But in the existing order in which the first priority of the nation’s politicians, bureaucrats and social engineers is primitive capital accumulation, root and branch education and healthcare reform is a rock-bottom, low-priority item.

Meanwhile a volatile combination of anger, resentment and frustration simmers and gathers steam within the world’s largest youth population.

With Neeta Lal (Delhi); Vidya Pandit (Lucknow) Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai) & S. Raghavendra (Bangalore)