A new report released by the Juvenile Justice Unit (JJU) has detailed 155 cases of crime committed this year by young offenders. Most of the cases are linked to suspects between 16 and 18 years of age, whilst a growing number of crimes were also found to involve young women.
Local media has reported that of the 155 cases of juvenile crime committed this year, 20 were related to assault, while 20 were filed over theft and robbery. A total of 18 cases related to drug abuse were also filed.
The JJU, which is run under the auspices of the Home Ministry, also reported that a number of crimes in the report were found to include “sexual misconduct”and vandalism.
Last year, the JJU concluded that the “vast majority” of crimes linked to young offenders between April 1 and June 30, 2011, related to people who did not attend school.
According to Haveeru, the JJU’s latest report found 68 percent of young offenders included in the report were found not to have attended school. A large proportion of the crimes committed in the report were linked to suspects aged between 16 and 18.
Local media added that there was a growing number of cases involving young females related to possession of alcohol and “disruption of harmony” relating to illegal gatherings.
The JJU concluded that a lack of proper nurturing, the negative influence of media and adults pushing young people into a life of crime were some of the key drivers for the number of offences in the report.
When adressing the work of a correctional training centre based in Kaafu Atoll, the report added that six children had undertaken rehabilitation programmes at the site so far this year. However, Haveeru reported that there were concerns children being reintroduced back into society after committing offences were not getting the “necessary” encouragement and support.
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