— The opening of a trial in which six adolescent boys are accused of
bullying a classmate to death has focused attention on widespread
violence in
The six defendants are charged with bullying,
extortion and “deliberately causing grave damage to health, resulting
in death through negligence” of 15-year-old Sadabay Uulu Nurak.
Experts say the case is hardly an isolated incident, and that bullying to extort money is endemic in schools across the country.
In a recent survey, 34 percent of school-age
children said that there was systematic extortion in their schools. The
situation is deemed so serious that parliament has set up a special
commission to look into the problem. Police worry that crime in schools
has become more violent in recent years.
Marat Munduzbaev, chief inspector at the interior
ministry’s department for public safety, says what is alarming is “not
the rising incidence of crime among children and adolescents, but the
cruelty involved.”
“Anyone recognized as or claiming to be leader, top
dog or gang boss in his environment generally carries a weapon,” he
said. “Usually, it’s small clasp knives, which are not classed as
weapons and are therefore not subject to confiscation. Adolescents are
very well aware of this, and they also know that a knife of this kind
can easily be used to wound or even kill.”
Munduzbaev added that girls, too, were increasingly involved in violence, so much so that
Analysts say the increase in violence and crime in schools is a direct consequence of the social upheavals which
“The transition to capitalism (of the early 1990s)
was accompanied by a sharp economic decline,” Munduzbaev said. “The
authorities lost control, and untrammeled crime became widespread.
Powerful criminal groups controlling entire businesses as well as small
markets, cafes and restaurants began appearing across the country.”
That generation now has children, whom Munduzbaev says have “taken in a basic rule from their parents — might is right.”
Adolescents in
Referring to popular Russian-made TV series that
glorify gangsters, Munduzbaev said “the young lads of today take films
like this as a guide for action.”
Svetlana Derbeneva, a child psychologist at the
Putnik children rehabilitation center, says, “There is too much
information around that advocates violence and aggression. Children can
easily download real images of fights, murders and other forms of
violence to their mobile phones. What’s even worse is that they imitate
this by filming their own material.”
Emilbek Alymbaev, who heads a special school for
juvenile offenders, observes from his own wards that child abuse is
another factor that breeds violence.
“Children who have previously experienced cruelty
themselves will generally behave in the same way to others,” he said.
“They have their own values and attitudes to life. … They can be
either helpless or dangerous.” Few see any quick solution to the
growing problem of violence among children.
“To achieve visible results in curbing racketeering
in schools, we need to engage teachers, juvenile affairs police
officers, parents and schoolchildren, as well as … increasing
oversight over attendance and strengthening moral education in the
schools,” said Nurdin Omurbekov, chief inspector with the police
department for juvenile affairs in
Asyl Osmonalieva is a reporter in
