Dubai: Broken family ties and bad friends are the two main reasons behind juvenile delinquency, according to Lt Col Arif Baqer, director of Dubai Police's family security department of human rights.
He said most juvenile delinquency cases occur at schools. According to him juveniles must be seen as victims even if they were accused of a crime.
"If a juvenile commits a crime, this does not mean that he or she will become a criminal and commit other crimes. A juvenile is considered not accountable because he or she is not fully aware of the consequences of what they do," he said.
Lt Col Arif Baqer said there is a new programme to rehabilitate delinquent young people at the Juvenile Centre at Al Qusais Police Station.
The centre only accepts juveniles and has been established to prevent young people from mixing with adult detainees.
In May a programme called Tamkeen (meaning "enabling"), was launched to help juvenile detainees spend their time on useful activities.
Group sessions
Laila Al Mulla, Head of the family security section at Al Qusais police station, said Tamkeen targets young people detained at the centre by organising individual or group sessions for them based on their offenses.
"We organise guidance sessions for the detained juveniles in addition to workshops and awareness lectures on several topics, and also help them discover their talents and skills and develop it," she said.
Al Mulla said the family security section regularly follows up the case of each juvenile, even after they have been released.
Every police station has a family security section.
"We involve parents and family members of the juveniles in the sessions. We even do field visits to their homes to better understand the situation and offer help and support," she said.
Laila added that in some severe cases, such as sexual abuse, juveniles are also referred to a psychiatrist for further help.
She said currently there are nine juveniles at the centre who are part of the Tamkeen Programme.
Lt Col Baqer said there have been 17 juvenile related cases in the past five months, compared to 17 cases for the whole of last year.
"Cases have increased due to a growing population, especially in Dubai, and also because more and more people are becoming aware of this section and the help it can offer in juvenile related cases," he said.
He said most cases involve attacks, beatings, swearing, slandering, theft and disputes between children and their parents.
Al Mulla said some female juveniles get involved in emotional relationships with other people because they do not find love and attention at home and then seek it elsewhere.
Pay attention
"Parents should pay special attention to girls and provide them with the love, care and attention they require, because as teenagers they have needs for such feelings, and if not found at home, they look for them outside and often get in trouble," she said.
Lt Col Baqer called on parents to pay attention to their children, especially when they are teenagers. he asked parents not to argue in front of their children when it comes to issues of how to raise them.
He also called on them to respect children and their talents and skills, and work to develop the skills and to win the children's trust.
He urged parents to develop their children's religious values as it helps them differentiate between right and wrong.
Where to get help
A juvenile is someone whose age does not exceed 18 years. Lt Col Arif Baqer, director of Dubai Police's family security department of human rights, said people who seek guidance on any topic related to juveniles or family disputes may get in touch with the family security section at any police station directly, or call the hotline at 050 458 7770.
By Alia Al Theeb, Staff Reporter