Violence Among Youth
Introduction
Indians aspire for their country to be a large, rapidly growing economy, and also to be respected as a great nation. In India, 480 million are less than 19 years old. India has 20% of the world’s children. [1]
The recent years have seen an unprecedented increase in youth violence, often lethal violence, all around the nation. Anecdotal evidence of increase in violence by young people against women and old people, of road rage, of violence in schools, and other violent actions to get whatever they want is alarming. This "epidemic," as many social analysts called it, caused serious concern to both parents and experts who believed their communities were no longer safe and that there was little or nothing they could do to change the situation. This has shaken the very roots of the notion of building a peaceful society where the youth become torch-bearers for progress of the nation.
Besides, the personal losses due to the violent acts are immense. It is impossible to put a price tag on youth violence that accounts for all the damage done to individuals, families, and communities. There is no way to measure the emotional pain, the lost opportunities, and the stunted growth. There is a growing fear that our institutions are unable to maintain social order. Violence and the fear of violence have changed the way people live and eroded the underpinnings of healthy growth and development of children and youth.
These trends should be of immense concern because the condition of children is fundamental to realising the aspirations of building a just and peaceful society as well as of economic growth. While the mantle of leadership into the future must pass on to youth, older citizens cannot relinquish responsibility for fostering the bodies, minds, and values of children.
It is time to realise that children are not merely resources for an economic machine. India’s future greatness will arise not merely from its large economy, but mainly from the moral
Indians aspire for their country to be a large, rapidly growing economy, and also to be respected as a great nation. In India, 480 million are less than 19 years old. India has 20% of the world’s children. [1]
The recent years have seen an unprecedented increase in youth violence, often lethal violence, all around the nation. Anecdotal evidence of increase in violence by young people against women and old people, of road rage, of violence in schools, and other violent actions to get whatever they want is alarming. This "epidemic," as many social analysts called it, caused serious concern to both parents and experts who believed their communities were no longer safe and that there was little or nothing they could do to change the situation. This has shaken the very roots of the notion of building a peaceful society where the youth become torch-bearers for progress of the nation.
Besides, the personal losses due to the violent acts are immense. It is impossible to put a price tag on youth violence that accounts for all the damage done to individuals, families, and communities. There is no way to measure the emotional pain, the lost opportunities, and the stunted growth. There is a growing fear that our institutions are unable to maintain social order. Violence and the fear of violence have changed the way people live and eroded the underpinnings of healthy growth and development of children and youth.
These trends should be of immense concern because the condition of children is fundamental to realising the aspirations of building a just and peaceful society as well as of economic growth. While the mantle of leadership into the future must pass on to youth, older citizens cannot relinquish responsibility for fostering the bodies, minds, and values of children.
It is time to realise that children are not merely resources for an economic machine. India’s future greatness will arise not merely from its large economy, but mainly from the moral
Bibliography: iii. Jeffrey M. Jenson, and Matthew O. Howard “CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF YOUTH VIOLENCE”, Denver University Law Review, 2000, http://international.westlaw.com