By Edith Nwapi
Abuja – Some Abuja-based lawyers have identified improper upbringing of children and unemployment as factors responsible for high crime rate among youths in the country.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that the society and the system encourage youths to indulge in crime.
One of the lawyers, Mrs Chiamaka Ukoha, told NAN that when children were not properly brought up they tend to engage in crime and other vices.
Ukoha said that most parents pay less attention to children upbringing, adding that they pay house help to perform their function.
“The children knowing that they are not close enough to either of the parents seek for intimacy outside, and most times fell into unworthy hands,” she said.
Ukoha advocated that parents should have few children that they could handled, and advised the Federal Government to put in place facilities that could help children live their dreams.
She appealed to mothers to pay attention to the formative years of their children and ensure that high moral values were inculcated in them.
Another lawyer, Mr Femi Afolabi, suggested that youths should be constructively engaged, adding that “if they are left idle what you get is high rate of crime.
“If most of our youths are engaged in doing things that are noble, high wave of crime will reduce, this is because you occupy their minds with something that keeps them busy.
“Living without focus can be frustrating and can lead to crimes and other vices coupled with lack of proper children upbringing and discipline.
“Another issue is that some parents made it so easy for their children that those children do not know any longer the value of work, they look at work as punishment and idleness as enjoyment,” Afolabi said.
Afolabi expressed regrets that those who even would like to work could not get themselves employment because of the societal and systematic bottleneck.
He urged the government to create jobs in areas as agriculture, culture, tourism, Art and craft and many others to help reduce the number of youths that roam into various crimes in the society.
Another lawyer, Mr Yohanna Musa, identified lack of systematic structure as factor that encourages crimes.
“The system influences most people to go into crimes. Those who will like to close their eyes and try to be little upright are dragged into crime by societal influence.
“And it is even easy among the youths because most of them lack focus and can be drafted into crime by any offer from anywhere.
“Even the prison that supposed to stand as a reformatory place now help these youth convicts to be hardened and a source of terror in the society.”
Musa advised that merit, honesty and sincerity should be encouraged, stressing that it would help in reducing crime among youths.
