Rising rate of criminality in our society is alarming ~ Who is to blame?

Rising rate of criminality in our society is alarming ~ Who is to blame?

As unfortunate as it may seem, we have a parenting crisis in our hands right now.

 Across all demographic groups and social classes, there is a crisis of parenting which is feeding a crisis of youth delinquency.

In recent times, our country is grappling with a distressing upsurge in juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, and related social dysfunction within the ranks of the youth and young adults. 

 No one in this country today can deny that we are afraid of our own youth. 

From Lagos to Port Harcourt, from Maiduguri to Benin, youths are simply on a rampage of violence and anti-social behaviour.

Poor parenting is the major factor contributing to this alarming trend. 

To curb these high rates of youth misbehaviour and delinquency we must first understand the role of parents and other adults in preparing the youth for a life of responsibility and discipline. 

First, the parent must himself or herself understand that he/she is a role model to the child. 

The child first copies its own parents with whom he spends his most impressionable early years. 

When the parent is mostly absent, the child is denied the parameter setting duty by its parent’s absence. 

This is further exacerbated by social pressure and unbridled influence of both peer groups and untrammeled social media access.