Why our youth are getting out of control - conduct disorders
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Just last week, I was reading Mmegi (August 7, 2014), and there were 3 stories relating to out of control behavior by youth. One of them was about a teenager charged with three counts of rape, and the other two on young people facing murder charges. In psychology, a person who has a tendency of committing serious crimes such as murder and rape is said to have Conduct Disorder (CD). This type of disorder, like many other mental disorders, is classified under the psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM IV). The word Conduct Disorder does not refer to a learner who comes late to class, seats at the back and starts reminiscing over how much fun she or he had over the weekend with friends at the movies while the teacher is busy explaining a concept. That would probably just be an inattentive child who needs some high interest activities. People with Conduct Disorders have a tendency of infringing on other people’s rights without remorse.
While it is widely acknowledged that Khama holds the title of Kgosi, the government’s failure to properly gazette his recognition has raised serious concerns about adherence to legal procedures and the credibility of traditional leadership. (See a story elsewhere in this newspaper.) Recent court documents by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Kgotla Autlwetse, shed light on the intricacies of Khama’s recognition process....