A misunderstanding on Facebook between a 15 year old school girl and some friends took a turn for the worse when one of them decided to confront her together with other family members.
A fight broke out and Mr Panjavarnam Perumal, 56, died after he was attacked by a group of girls aged 15 and 20 at about 11pm on Monday (22nd August) in Jelutong. The girls were armed with helmets. The deceased tried to stop the argument but was beaten up, kicked and stepped on instead. The Form Two student’s mother, Madam A. Rajeswari, 34, was also injured in the attack.
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said Mr Panjavarnam died on the way to the hospital. A post-mortem showed that he died of a heart attack.
Why do Teens become Violent?
I’m sure many people have varying theories why teens would act out in violence. Whether it stemmed from home, in the movies, in video games, from schools, on the street or growing up in the wrong crowd, it is becoming a cause for concern. Others may have suffered severe bullying and become enraged enough to act out in revenge.
For a fraction of teens, lashing out can also be caused by frustration due to learning disorders, emotional distress, or attention deficits. In some cases teens do not know how to appropriately channel their frustrations and act out in anger as a form of release.
image source: fuh.my
There was also a study investigating the relationship between playing violent video games and viewing violent TV programmes and aggressive behaviour among pre-teens. A total of 450 pre-teens aged 11 were randomly selected from nine schools in the state of Selangor, Malaysia, to participate in this study. The study concluded that playing violent video games and viewing violent TV programmes were positively related to pre-teen physical aggressive behaviour.
Gangsterism
How about teens with self esteem issues? Teens who get involved with gangsterism as a way to seek recognition, fear and acknowledgement from others. Gangsterism remains the top cause for violence in schools. Children are getting beaten, extorted and threatened.
A study suggested that teenagers joined gangsterism when they are in need of something. Parents play an important role in understanding the wants and needs of their children, whether materially or psychologically. Close bond relationship can deter teenagers from joining gangsterism.
Schools also play a very important role in curbing violence and gangsterism. The school should not wait until it is out of control because this will have a negative effect on student learning and attendance.
Dealing with violent behaviour
- Be attentive of their needs
- Give them space to calm down. You may want to talk to them about what has happened and suggest that they let you find them some help.
- Be clear about the boundaries set. They need to know that any kind of violence is unacceptable.
- Talk to their school and find out if their aggressive behaviour is happening there as well. Some schools offer counselling.
- Arrange counselling – if your teen admits they have a problem and is willing to get help, book an appointment with a counsellor or psychologist as soon as possible. Speak to your GP or their school about what help is available.
Seek Help
See here for a list of Organisations and NGOs helping youths in Malaysia.
See also a list of counsellors here.