Drug Habits Turning Minors into Criminals

With Rajeev it started when his father, a small time shopkeeper stopped giving him money. Rajeev got into petty thefts to keep up with his drug habits, until he jabbed a man with his knife while stealing. When asked about the crime he said, “I was 13 years old when I was caught, arrested and sent to the observation home for children. Three months went by and then my parents got me released," as reported by TOI.

On enquiring whether he was counseled when he was in the observation home, he informed that there was no counseling. After he was released he found himself in the same company as before, with addicts and turned into one which incited him to commit theft and other crimes for his habit.

At the Sahyog Centre by the Juvenile Justice Board for de-addiction, which started in 2011, he is counseled and the change has began to reflect in him, which has transformed him from an aggressive teenager into a more resolved one. Rajeev said, “The sharing session where child addicts open their hearts out in closed meetings reformed me. It healed me from within and now I want to change and make a difference,” as reported by TOI. Now he is a trained to cook and is paid Rs 5,000 to manage the canteen, which he sends home.

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