(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Experts have shed light on roots of mounting violence among youngsters in Kuwait, putting the blame largely on modern media and careless parents and bad teachers.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Sherif, a media professor at Kuwait University, indicated in an interview with KUNA that violence has particularly increased among the youth, cautioning that jittery youngsters can cause anxiety, tension and chaos, thus disrupting authorities' efforts to maintain the peace and law and order.
"We live in a materialistic world and this situation should nudge us to re-examine educational strategies that have long been based on taboos and repression, therefore we need to counter the culture of violence, being promoted via satellite television channels and social media means," said Dr. Sherif, indicating that the Kuwaiti youth are being exposed to violent pictures and themes via the television, online services and cinema.
Some movies present thieves and killers as heroes, relaying a distorted image about the good person, viewed by spectators as an example to be followed, he said, calling for tighter censorship on the materials, either those printed or broadcast via the audio-visual networks.
Dr. Ayed Al-Mannaa, education professor at the KU, called for treating frustration among the youth due to the cultural gap between an outer world with substantial freedoms and the local largely conservative society. He also warned that radical groups are particularly targeting the youth, seeking to wash their brains and make them adopt extreme and eccentric ideas. As to remedies, he proposes listening to the youth demands and allowing them to be effective participants in the society.
Dr. Hamed Al-Abdullah, political science professor, says that violence in Kuwait "has developed into a phenomenon, not merely individual incidents," alluding the problem to lack of parents' guidance, dependence on domestic maids to look after children. The State on its part should play a role to enable the young citizens release their energy through encouraging voluntary work.
For his part, Dr. Kheder Yaroun, a psychology professor, acknowledged that violence in Kuwait increased over the past years, particularly at schools, where children get bad treatment from teachers and deans, in addition to recurring violent incidents that take place at public places and shopping malls.
Many juniors have been resorting to public violence as a means of letting go frustration caused by parents' bad treatment, recurring injurious criticism and reprimanding. In some cases, children are coerced to study specialization they do not like or fathom, and this in turn constitutes another motive to be violent.
Dr. Abulhamid Al-Sarraf, a sociology teacher, said, "the youth constitute an explosive energy and if this energy does not blow up through the right ways, such as being involved in sports, arts, literature and sciences, it may turn into a destructive energy and hatred against laws and rules." He cited other reasons for spread of violence, such as bad company, lack of religious deterrence and prevailing culture of consumption.
He affirmed significant role of the state and civil associations for guiding the youth to be productive and demonstrate positive behaviors.
From a security perspective, Colonel Abdullah Al-Ajmi, the acting director-general of security in Hawally, indicated that many youth, particularly those aged between 16 and 24, often get engaged in violence at schools or public places, such as shopping malls. In some cases the quarrels involve sharp objects and cause life-long injuries.
Security personnel have been stationed in and outside shopping malls, especially on the weekends, where such incidents often take place. They also stage patrols in the districts and erect checkpoints to maintain law and order.
The Ministry of Interior officials have instructed malls' owners to install security cameras, emergency sirens and scanning devices at exists to detect any concealed dangerous objects, deemed a weapon. Moreover, the MoI personnel deal with other causes of violence, such as alcohol and drugs.
He called for quick notification about flare-up of violent quarrels because rapid intervention is helpful to avert or minimize injuries and damage.
The MoI personnel seek to settle some disputes between the two sides to avert resorting to legal authorities. "In some cases, the juvenile may be referred to the corrections departments thus disrupting his studies and resulting in deep psychological problems." He noted role of the security media with respect of guiding the adolescents against delinquency. He concurred with the professors that the modern media have become a main motive for crimes, delinquency, noting that the teenagers and children are often exposed to unethical or violent materials.
The MoI statistics in 2013 show that misdemeanor cases totaled 18,064, felonies unrelated to narcotics 6,709, drug cases 2,229, minors' delinquency cases 1,814 and 25,000 various types of crimes.
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