T

he National Commission on Child Protection (Komnas Anak) has seen a rise in juvenile delinquency and related offenses, much of which is driven by consumerism.

Commission chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait said on Sunday that the commission had recorded a significant increase in the number of crimes involving minors since the start of the year, many of which he said were committed to support their lifestyles.

The commission handled 159 cases of serious crimes involving minors this year, while in 2011 it received only 126 reports on such cases.

“What has become our main concern is that most of the suspects said they committed the crimes, murder and robbery, to take the victims’ money to buy liquor, motorcycles or gadgets,” Arist said.

“It is a very serious problem when consumerism can drive minors to take the life of others, just to support their lifestyle needs and have fun.”

Last week saw a 17-year-old arrested in Ciputat, South Tangerang, for the robbery and killing of junior high school student Dwi Saputro, 14, a crime driven apparently by the desire to play online games and to buy alcohol.

Pamulang Police chief M. Nasir alleged that the suspect, SH, killed Dwi, whom he knew from playing online games, under the influence of illicit drugs on Dec. 4.

SH, a school dropout temporarily working as a public minivan driver, approached Dwi who was playing games in an Internet café after school that day and invited him to smoke in an empty lot on Jl. Parakan. He then beat Dwi with a piece of wood and took his cell phone. Dwi’s remains were found behind bushes at the lot three days later.

“We contacted the boy’s phone and it connected us to a cell phone vendor to whom SH had sold it. We tracked down SH from there and arrested him in his house in Pamulang,” Nasir said as quoted by
kompas.com.

SH reportedly told the police that he had sold the phone for Rp 230,000 (US$23.87) and spent it to play his favorite online game and to buy alcohol. Nasir said SH would likely be charged with murder under Article 338 of the Criminal Code and faced 20 years’ imprisonment.

In July, MS, 14, allegedly killed a man and his son in Depok at the request of three of his neighbors, who offered him Rp 3 million and a motorcycle as a reward. He was arrested by Depok Police hours later, and faces 20 years’ imprisonment for the murder and robbery.

MS told police that he agreed to kill the victims because he had always wanted to have a motorcycle.

Ratih Andjayani, a psychologist, described it “morbid and horrific”, that teenagers could commit such crimes for unproductive things like online gaming and drinking.

Ratih said that addiction played a big role in shaping teenagers’ behavior.

“Online games and alcohol can lead to addiction and once people are addicted to something, they can lose their sense and do anything to fulfill their needs. Some gaming contents can trigger an adrenaline rush, which later can also result in addiction,” Ratih explained.

Besides addiction, Ratih said that teenagers could commit such crimes because they had somehow lost their empathetic side — probably due to familial or environmental influences.

“The key is, do not pity the perpetrators and do not let them off unpunished. We have to remember to provide justice for the victims and their families and to protect other potential victims,” Ratih said.

Arist echoed Ratih, saying that despite being a minor, SH and other underage suspects should be
punished accordingly.

“In the end, claiming the life of another is still a crime and whoever does it should be punished according to the Criminal Code. The suspects should be treated as minors in things such as separating them from adult detainees or a slight leniency in sentencing, but should never be allowed to evade the law,” he said.

Arist said that the best preventive measures for such crimes came from the family and the environment of the teenagers.

“Parents have to monitor the activities of their children and who they make friends with. Community and neighborhood units also have important roles to play in monitoring and shaping residents and providing them with productive activities,” he said. (aml)