Children and Stealing

 Written by: Samira Haleemzai

Most thieves have been accustomed to stealing since childhood. They steal small items from home or friends and if the families do not prevent them, they might continue stealing and cause problems for themselves, their families and the community.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about this issue.

Alhaj Sakhigul, a resident of Qarabagh district, Kabul province says, “Some children in our village are stealing fruits from the gardens. Last summer they stole about 140 kilograms of grapes from our garden and I faced about 10 thousand Afghanis loss.”

Palwasha, a resident of Khost province says, “Once I was waiting for a bus in a bus stop. A child was standing beside me. I thought he would also be waiting for the bus. A few second later, I checked my purse, he had stolen my mobile phone and I did not find that boy.”

What do some people think about the causes of children stealing?

A girl, a resident of Maidan-Wardak province says, “If parents do not talk to their children about dangerous consequences of stealing, they might not leave this bad habit and they would continue stealing.”

Rahila, a resident of Parwan province says, “Some parents and families badly punish their children after stealing instead of preventing them by talks; they cause to immerge hatred in them and they continue stealing.”

A psychologist, Shama Katawazai says, “The first cause of children stealing is that the families could fulfill their children’s needs and or they do not pay attention to them so they want to fulfill their needs from any possible way. The second cause is the beating of children after stealing instead of comprehensive. Children who steal could have family troubles, mental health issues, or delinquency. They often have trouble making and keeping friends, have poor relationships with adults, or have issues with trust.”

How do some people find the solution to this issue?

Alifuddin, a resident of Qarabagh district says, “I have children and grandchildren and I have already talked to them about the bad consequences of stealing. One day, some guests had come to our house. A child of the guests stole chocolate. My child shared the issue with me. I told him that if the child wanted chocolate, I or my wife would give him but it's not a good habit to steal even a small item without permission.”

Najman Zamani, a teacher at one of Kabul city schools says, “When I go every day to the class, I talk to my student about good behaviors and the disadvantages of stealing.”