Since the murder of Buaphan Tansu, 47, a woman with a level 5 intellectual disability, there has been growing alarm and fear among the public, especially considering who the perpetrators were and the nature of the crime.
Buaphan was brutally assaulted and killed by a gang of youths aged between 13-16 in Aranyaprathet district, in Sa Kaeo province.
A growing number of victims have since come forward to accuse the gang of heinous acts, including rape, assault, murder, theft, and arson. This gang demonstrated a disturbing level of savagery and disregard for the law, and lacked any sense of guilt or moral discernment beyond what is expected of youth behaviour. This raises the question: Are children born bad?
The criminal actions of these youths suggest a complex interplay of factors leading to such extreme behaviour.
This includes environmental influences, upbringing, social and economic conditions, exposure to violence, and possibly psychological or developmental issues.
Understanding these factors is crucial in addressing the root causes and in implementing effective interventions to prevent similar tragedies.
Children are not born as "blank slates." Individuals are born with genetic and biological factors that influence their behaviour, personality and characteristics. Growing up, they are moulded by factors as follows:
Family Environment: The family environment is a foundational factor in development, affecting physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth. A nurturing, stable, and loving family environment provides a solid foundation for growth.
In contrast, children from problematic families filled with violence, neglect, or excessive indulgence, may develop behavioural and personality issues.
Association with Bad Peers and Joint Criminal Behaviour: Peers, especially during adolescence, have a significant influence with the potential to overpower familial or any other relationship ties.
Even well-behaved youths can quickly be influenced negatively as seen in those who were initially role models and academically successful just a year prior to becoming gang leaders.
Caregivers and schools must be vigilant in observing children and adolescent behaviour. Prompt consultation with specialists for treatment and appropriate parental training is essential.
Continued Drug Use: This gang often used marijuana and kratom, which affect brain functions related to self-control, decision-making, and emotional regulation.
Since adolescent brains are still developing, drug use can further impair brain development and structure, leading to a greater likelihood of criminal behaviour due to reduced impulse control.
Mental Health Issues: Mental health disorders such as conduct disorder can lead to antisocial, rebellious and aggressive behaviour, or psychopathy, characterised by aggression, destructiveness, chronic lying, or lack of empathy and remorse.
These behaviours often manifest early in life and worsen in adolescence, especially in those with a history of behavioural issues. Psychopathic youths can become ringleaders who instigate and escalate aggressive, criminal activity in groups, often pressuring members to actively partake in crimes.
Early diagnosis and treatment by professionals are crucial, as standard parenting or disciplinary methods are ineffective for psychopathic children.
Legal Issues, Law Enforcement, and Rehabilitation for Juvenile Offenders: A lack of legal consequences for juvenile misconduct, such as not being prosecuted for previous offences, can lead to repetitive and increasingly severe misbehaviour.
Receiving lenient alternative measures instead of appropriate legal sanctions can result in a disregard for the law, emboldening young offenders to commit more serious offences. This necessitates a review of existing laws to ensure they align with the current societal context, where children are maturing quicker than ever before.
Additionally, effective long-term rehabilitation measures to reintegrate juvenile offenders into productive members of society are crucial as punitive measures.
We must work together to limit factors creating a perfect environment for breeding harmful and criminal acts of "evil".
We need to help children grow into thriving, healthy adults for them to become the future hope and strength of society and the nation.
Tulapawn Achananuparp has an MA in Counselling Psychology and is a marriage and family therapist in San Francisco.