BY KEI SHIRAHAMA

Recently the number of cases of juvenile delinquency has been decreasing. But then the percentage of atrocious crimes such as homicide, arson and robbery has been increasing a lot. "Juvenile" generally means all non-adults. But we regard people twelve years old or less as children, people thirteen years old to fifteen years old as juveniles, and people sixteen years old or more as youths. And particularly for juveniles and youths thirteen years old to eighteen years old Youth Forum News members have been thinking about what their family members should do.

At first their family situation is often responsible for the children's crime, but the offender is most to blame. He has changed the victim's life, plunged the neighbors into fear, and caused society unrest. Especially youths sixteen years old or more are most to be blamed for crimes because they are responsible for their deeds like adults are.

The important point is that in many cases average juveniles and youths have vented their dissatisfaction with everyday life by crime. But public opinion about the crime by juveniles and youths is that only the offender is to blame. We doubt whether many adults understand that they have possibly forced the youths into a corner by their behavior.

Moreover the idea that we can't understand the behavior and thoughts of young people has become mainstream. In extreme cases adults say, "They don't know etiquette," "They are fearful creatures turning to crime," or "They live in a strange world." The trend toward people separating themselves from the young has become strong because crimes by them are becoming atrocious.

This way of thinking is not limited to junior and senior high school students or youths who have committed crimes, but to the children in each home as well. They then give up and waive parental responsibility.

The young are tired of the adults' behavior, and they don't trust adults because of their own family members' and teachers' behavior. They try to live in a different world unintelligible to adults, while they are troubled about friendships and studies.

A gap has developed between adults and youths because of a vicious circle. This gap is at the root of the crime by youths and the reason why they have been cornered in what the adults call a "different" world.

How then can family fill in the gap? It's not enough just to tell them the importance of life and to demand heart-felt education from educational institutions. What family members must do is to love them genuinely now as well as they did when they were children, to expose them to this love in bringing them up. In this case, an important thing is not to spoil them.

For example they should try to continue to talk things over with them when they are contrary, and try to understand them. It is quite right to teach the minimum social rules; "Don't hurt others," and "Don't take people's belongings." Sometimes it is also necessary for both parents and child to quarrel and vent their feelings.

The young will begin to see their own situation and to respond to this love. This is the beginning of filling in the gap. With the family's love, they will know the happiness of living and understand the importance of life. This in turn will lead to the solution of the problem of bullying.

The endeavor to fill in the gap is demanded of the school and community as well. But now school is failing at this task, and there is no heart-to-heart communication at the community level. But people are looking for the reconstruction of today's society. And now what family members should do at home is to see them as family members, and make them learn that it is the place of peace for them. As they have their own wills and feelings, the ideal may not be achieved. But we mustn't forget that family members, who truly love their offspring, can retrieve the youths from their strange world.