16:39 Gulf News: Criminality is irrespective of age and gender.
16:42 Atul Dhawan: I agree because age cannot define the character or action of a person. It is about the person himself, his upbringing and surrounding. With each generation, the level of maturity is being lowered. Today, children are more mature and sensible at a earlier age compared to the previous generations and that due to too much exposure.
16:43 Lodhi Azmatullah: I agree as there is no set age for committing a crime. Whether you are 12 or 42 years old, once you have planned for and committed the crime, you are equally the same.
16:44 Atul Dhawan: The new generation are well aware of what they are doing and in some cases, they are even giving sermons to elders. Therefore, it is vital that they are held responsible for their actions.
16:48 Mohammad Al Olama: I believe that gender is not a variable when crime is being examined. Both genders are prone to commit a crime. Age on the other hand, you can find a trend within teenagers and young adults especially such people that are uneducated and/or unemployed. In this case, it is critical that the authorities try to find the root cause of the issue rather than treating the symptoms. A case with such brutality is worth to be studied further from various perspectives such as the societal, psychological and personal background of the girls. This case should be treated as a special case and the court charges should be revised. Yes, it was brutal and yes, they are children, but the issue is that when prosecuting adults it is to give a punishment which will create an example to others that law and order will prevail. In the case of children, such law will not be within their understanding and it’s not an effective example to other children.
16:50 Lodhi Azmatullah: Nowadays, more crime is found in the younger generation as they are continuously found to be involved in various crimes. This is mainly due to the rise of television and the depiction of crime in series and films. However, judgement should be the same for all irrespective of the offender being a child or adult. A crime is a crime and no mercy should be given to minors because if the childhood base is made up of crimes, then rehabilitation will be of no use.
16:52 Atul Dhawan: Exposure is the cause of maturing much faster, which explains the actions.
16:54 Gulf News: It is necessary to hold children accountable for their actions in such extreme cases
16:55 Atul Dhawan: Yes, all human beings are responsible for their actions and 12-year- olds are definitely mature in today’s society compared to previous generations.
16:57 Lodhi Azmatullah: I agree and we have our society to blame for that because it is all those fictitious novels and crime related series which has given an advantage and a learning method for the younger generation to commit crimes. Parents should be more alert with their children and should keep an eye on their activates to avoid such criminal offence.
16:58 Mohammad Al Olama: Yes, in some cases they should be held responsible. However, in special cases, the laws and policies should be flexible. Times are changing and so is the global community and as a result, it is affecting children and they way they think and act.
17:01 Atul Dhawan: We all make mistakes in life, get labelled, and improve ourselves in order to remove the label and become a better person. So, in the end, it will lead to a better understanding of right and wrong. And those who do not learn from their mistakes will only be a burden. Why are we labelling them as children in the first place? Those with a criminal mind are not really children… Therefore, lesson should be taught to all who do wrong. Just like teachers punish children in school for small offences, other children get expelled for large offences.
17:04 Mohammad Al Olama: I disagree because teaching children a lesson should be in a different manner than adults. Their perception of right and wrong is not mature enough therefore the responsibility lies on the parents. Instead, we should teach parents on how to deal and raise their children. Again, find the root cause...
17:05 Lodhi Azmatullah: Labelling a child as criminal at such an early stage in life will not improve the mental health of the child nor will it make him or her grow up to differentiate between right and wrong. As mentioned previously, if the early stages of childhood are filled with crime, there are few possibilities that the child will actually grow up to understand the seriousness of what he or she has done.
Facebook comments:
Stabbing 19 times at the age of 12 - what anger and what rage. No they are not 12-year-olds but someone who is mentally sick and needs a lot of help. I would say YES to being charged with first-degree as we hear more and more children committing awful crimes.
From Ms Aziza Al Busaidy
Dubai
At this age she will know right from wrong. This was a dreadful crime for which she should both receive psychiatric help and be punished.
From Ms Caroline Wareham
Dubai
I believe just as a mistake is a mistake irrespective of the age, a crime is a crime irrespective of the age. Mistakes can happen by adults too and so can be forgiven... But if a person is bold enough to plan and then carry out a crime, they deserve to be punished for it too.
From Ms Shaima Anis
UAE
It is absolutely necessary to hold these girls against their actions. They are mature enough to know the difference between right and wrong. If they’re old enough to be able to stab, they’re old enough to face the consequences.
From Ms Anum Harris Matin
UAE
They should be held accountable but first they need to be placed in juvenile detention considering their age. Then, when they reach the legal ag, they can be transferred to an ordinary prison.
From Mr Jhun Cruz
Dubai
Mature punishments are for mature crimes! Imagine murder at this age, what are they capable of later in life? An eye for an eye before more innocent victims suffers such a horrible fate!
From Ms Ameerah Jolene-Ann van Heerden
UAE
12 years is not an age to be able to understand the consequence of an action. This is the result of watching movies and videos games that constantly depict violence. I think a punishment that is not as harsh as life sentence with them having the opportunity to complete their education in detention would be acceptable. Also, the parents should be fined for not paying attention towards their upbringing. Certainly, it cannot happen out of the blue as it is not a common thing for juveniles to commit murder.
From Mr Syed Shams
UAE
If we live in a society where teens commit such horrific crimes, the parents are and should be equally responsible for these horrendous acts. It is quite possible that these kids were or have been witness or victims of some kind of abuse from a young age. As for sentencing such crimes, they do require harsh sentence but should not be tried as adults.
From Ms Jerin Jacob
Ajman
I think it shows how little effort parents are making in understanding and guiding these young minds. I am not in a position to judge these kids, I’m sure jurists can do their job but I m utterly shocked at how kids nowadays take influence and at such a tender age have lost humanity. That makes me sleepless.
From Ms Nadia F. Abbasi
UAE
-Compiled by Donia Jenabzadeh/Community Web Editor
