A Really Scary Thought

Writing a story about a juvenile killer who was sentenced for a murder, released and than arrested again for attacking and robbing a woman, I started thinking about this kid.

Four months ago, this teenager in Sarajevo and two others poured gasoline on a 72-year-old pensioner, Ljubica Spasojevic-Djokic and set her ablaze, for no apparent reason. She died from her injuries a week later.

Then, three months ago, three teenagers beat up and knifed a 17-year-old Denis Mrnjavac in a city Sarajevo tram, only because they didn’t like the look they thought he gave them. He died the next day in a hospital.

We witness similar gruesome stories in the region on an almost daily basis now. Only over the past couple of days, a 13-year-old boy in Croatia abducted and raped a 14-year-old girl for five days. In Serbia, four girls beat up and sexually abused a 12-year old girl, and recorded her ordeal on a mobile phone camera.
I started thinking about this: how does an ordinary teenager become a killer, rapist or tyrant? What is the role of their families and the environment in which they grew up?

Then I came to a really scary thought. If such behaviour is the result of the environment in which these kids grew up some 10-15 years ago, which was certainly much better than it is now, how will this world look like in about 15 years?

What will be happening when today’s babies, born and raised in such times, grow up to the point when they can handle a knife, a gun or a can of gasoline and a pack of matches?

All of you reading this who think: “It’s neither my problem nor my responsibility”, think again.
Today’s world is our joint responsibility, a result of all of our thoughts and deeds. And it all starts from within us, our families and homes.

Here in Bosnia, some people blame the legal system, saying it is institutionally and legally incapable of dealing with juvenile crime. Others criticise the poor education system.

That all may be true, but then if all those young criminals were properly raised, loved and cared for by their families, neighbours and friends, they would not need correcting at the hands of the courts, schools or any other system.

After all, no state service or institution can replace the teachings and culture that every child ought to receive in his or her family. Kindergarten, school or university can and should only serve as a continuation of the education we all receive in our homes.

All those who think otherwise and try to pass their parental responsibilities onto some institution should be institutionalized themselves.

The quality of a child’s home upbringing is always evident in that same child’s behaviour: some send out a message of love, politeness and care for others; others display rage, aggression and cruelty.

And then, ironically, some people are eager to take responsibility for all the good sides that their children display, while blaming the school or faculty for all the flaws.

If you still think this is happening somewhere else and it’s not your business, think again, before you also end up being set ablaze by your own kid, or somebody else’s.