Youth crime. (The world has turned upside down)

The world has turned upside down. The youth have taken over almost every sphere of life including the richest in the world. This was never so many years back. But now, the story has changed. Hardly will you see an adult doing things on social media. Youth from the age of 5 already have their social media handles, making it easy to navigate the world from the comfort of their home. There's is no doubt that youths are the leaders of tomorrow, but what are our youths turning into? Where do they get the zeal and the orientation of making money at a tender age? Why are they so zealous to use the cars their parent cannot afford? Why do we find most roaming on the street among peers when they are supposed to be under the care of their parents? This is a serious issue that has caused a lot of havoc in society. Youth crime! What's it all about

Youth is classified as someone that has not reached the age of an adult. There is no specific age set out for youth but many say it's between the age of 15 and 24.

Crime is an action or reaction performed by an individual or group of people that goes against the rules of a country and is punishable under law

Having explained the two words (youth and crime), we should get a glimpse of what youth crime is. Youth crime refers to a young individual doing things that goes against the law of the country which is punishable under law

There are a lot of teens behind bars. the youths are found doing criminal activities and the percentage is increasing day by day. Between 1980 and now, the US government has built more prisons than schools. Why? Many factors lead youths to commit a crime. Let's see some of them below

Some parents wake as early as 5 AM, and leave the house in pursuit of their daily bread to sustain the family. They are working hard to put food on the table, but the welfare of their children is at stake. I've seen a thirteen years old girl taking care of her younger ones when their parents are not at home. She plays the mothers role in the family because the parents leave the house in the morning and come back late at the night from Monday to Saturday

The children have %100 free movement, and at this tender age, it's very hard for them to resist some temptation. Economic exigencies have made many families ignore their parental role, which is detrimental to the upbringing of the children. In the absence of parental guidance, they feel alone, and bored, and tend to find solace elsewhere. This can lead to joining bad gangs, and peer pressure can make them do things they ordinarily cannot do when their parents are there for them

Poverty/lack of education can also cause youth crime. Mostly in the developing worlds where poverty is the order of the day, you see young children on the street picking pocket. On the street of Lagos, you have to be %100 vigilant to secure your properties when walking on the street. It happened to me at Oshodi. My last 15k was almost removed from my pocket, and when I checked, it was a very small boy that tried to run me locally. He was looking dirty and haggered

If well checked, I believe this young boy has a group that serves as a role model for him to emulate. When there is no good role model to advise and show the youth the right path, it's easy for them to misbehave

In early 2000 when yahoo started trending in Nigeria, my best friend joined the yahoo guys [internet fraudsters] (precisely year 2002). We were still youths. He couldn't afford a laptop, but he goes to the cafe to browse. His parents are not poor. He chose his part because of the sense of early achievement. He pressurized me to join, but I couldn't because my parents were there for me at all time and their words and advice never escape my mind

Till today, he's still in the business and he taught many of our friends. The social media influence has not helped in this regard. Although technology has made life easy, the havoc it has caused to the life of the youths cannot be quantified

I won't also forget to mention unemployment. youth unemployment in Nigeria is above 70%. Many of us believe in going to school, having a certificate, and getting a white-collar job, but in the end, the certificate would be worthless. The pressure and the frustration from the society make some youths embark on the journey of crime (Armed robbery, assassination, drugs dealings, child trafficking, kidnapping, rituals, and so on)

The internet/social media has not helped the youths in some ways too. Many of them love seeing the immoral uploads, which influence their attitude and behavior.

Just recently, a Nigerian youth tik tok slay queen slept with a dog because of money and she was bold enough to broadcast it to the world. She was declared wanted by the Nigerian police with #10 million benefits for anyone who can apprehend her or give them the information on her whereabouts

One thing that is rampant in Nigeria now is money rituals. Before now, only adults are involved in this act, but now, youths have taken over. There are many stories of youths using their girlfriends for rituals. Let's see this video

This is something the country is battling with and our youths ladies are still falling victim day by day. The only ones we know are the ones exposed. What about the ones done successfully? I can categorically say that 90% of the reasons youths commit a crime is because of money. Every other reason carries the remaining 10%

The first thing is good and proper parental care. I vividly know that if my parents were not there for me, I would have joined my friend in the internet scam business he embarked on. All of them are wealthy now, but who knows what they do secretly? A good upbringing was what helped me to say no even when I saw them driving big cars and living in a mansion. The opportunity this jet age has provided for us is enough for any reasonable person to live well without committing crime

Compulsory education is needed. This will reduce the number of youths roaming the street. Of course, some youths in school are involved in cultism, the school authority should take it upon themselves to expose any student found in such group and inform the police for proper handling

Moral lessons should be taught in schools, and the religious body should also emphasize it. Moreso, employment opportunities should be provided for the youths and apart from going to school to get certified, the youths should be encouraged to get a skill

By and large, the parents, government, and society at large have a great role to play. If the youths are well brought up, there would be less youth crime

I believe no child is born bad. They become bad when they learn how to talk, walk and do things on their own. The social, environmental, and situational issues that are the basis of youth crime should be properly managed. The youths are the leaders of tomorrow. If the foundation is weak, the building will definitely collapse