How does one undeveloped mind form an ill target that damages societies and themselves? Despite the odds, it’s the most heavily debated topic in criminology. Punishment for juveniles has already been less harsh than adults regardless of how atrocious crimes were; this leads to a debate in whether this ensures safety for all from the victim to the criminal themselves. Indeed, despite many alterations to the system it cannot provide justice for all due to many broken methods within this complex.
 
One major dilemma in the juvenile crime world is the cliche that circles around continuously: the innocent experiences more pain than the criminals. The prime case that heavily gets criticised is the infamous case of the Murder of James Bulger; though abducted 30 years ago, this story has always been in the limelight on handling the two criminals. Two ten year old boys: the youngest murderers in modern Britain history. In 1993; after James’ mother left him in her gaze momentarily, two   boys: Robert Thompsin and Jon Venables, kidnapped, tortured and killed two year old James. Despite this incident being enough to lead an adult to death penalty; due to their young ages, the boys received new identities, rehabilitation and education, moreover they both seeked an appeal and in 2001, they were released as they were viewed as non harmful. However, Jon Venables recently has wronged the parole board as he started implementing child abuse images, and underaged girlfriends leading to his imprisonment in 2010 yet in the next year he was given a new identity however he continued to adapt to his lifestyle and in November 2017 he was imprisoned again; his next parole is scheduled in November 2023; The Daily Mail reported on December that he could be freed by Christmas.
 
Continuous atrocities are punctured. The countless harm Venables conducted from brutal murder to child abuse and possesion of child sexual abuse images was enough to anger many; the leniency rightfully sparked a debate. Denise Fergus, (James' mother) quotes: “ If  you let him free, you could be ruining the lives of another family like ours.” The British public has continuously criticised the choices of the parole board; but, it continues. Even public figures such as Jeremy Kyle Grills impose the Freedom Law in the UK: “Evil people cannot be rehabilitated.” Yet no restrictions or bills have been passed concerning the public’s domain if this man receives anonymity and parole.
 
Anonymity has been a common grant in the juvenile system; especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A recent case of Ireland’s youngest killers involved the killing of fourteen year old Ana kriegel. Throughout the investigations the names of the two killers were never disclosed; despite the incident shocking the whole country. Many argue on how Kreigel’s whole background, life and death has been shared publicly involving sensitive events of self harm and assault yet the killers remain a secret. Even Denise Fergus stated the harm that could conquer the public due to the two boys receiving anonymity. Hypocritically, Ireland inaugurated the Children Act 2001, which allowed the juvenile offenders anonymity to maximise protection; yet, Ana Kreigel, the victim, has no rights whatsoever on her own tragic case.
 
Undoubtedly, not only the public realises the leniency in the juvenile justice system but the criminals themselves do too. In South Korea, the major social dilemma is the rate of juvenile crimes exceeding drastically turning into a ubiquitous pastime. Many concluded that it was due to mental health issues,  yet the prime reason wasn’t that. Children understood and knew the end result before even committing the crime; they knew the juvenile system was there to save them. A recent case in Ilsan, where a thirteen boy continuously robbed a store; when finally caught he made a mockery of the situation by self claiming himself as a juvenile criminal. The juvenile system not only benefits the kids under the age of fourteen but restricts the sentence for citizens aged 14 to 19 to only 20 years in prison even if the crime was murder. The light punishments are criminals' advantages while the victims perish in injustice. Due to these bizarre legislations the juvenile crime rate has risen by 9 percent. If no action takes place; the rate will only continue to increase year by year; scrutinising Korea’s society.
 
To encapsulate; the Juvenile justice system certainly obtains errors that truncates the chances of reducing child incarceration. Due to the leniency towards the wrongdoings; more cases that are further destructive occur; if the juvenile justice system ensures justice to society and children rather than the villainous act, there could be a redemption of juvenile crimes in this modern era.

For the past few weeks, countless media outlets have extensively covered the odds between Russia and Ukraine. While the media focused on the humanitarian aftermaths, international viewpoints, and various ways to aid the wounded, a key consequence of the invasion has been declassed to the periphery. A consequence that will not only have a profound impact on the current victims but will also linger for years in Ukraine's premises.  

As the indignation intensifies, the cauldron is bound to overflow, culminating in humanitarian, economic, and environmental repercussions for Ukraine. According to researchers, if the conflict continues at its current intensity, Ukraine and its outlying neighborhoods would become uninhabitable sooner than before. But why?  

Ukraine has a rich and blessed nature today, encompassing 6% of Europe's landmass and over 30% of its biodiversity, with over 70,000 rare species calling it home. It preserves some of Europe's major rivers, such as the Dnipro, Dniester, Piudenny Buh, Danube, among others. Forests constitute 16 percent of the country's area, making them the primary source of timber, a well-known trading commodity in Ukraine. It contains around 33 wetlands that serve international importance with one of them being the Eastern Syvash Wetlands. 

As Russian military forces are storming and attacking with modern warfare, these resources are being irreparably harmed, causing considerable concerns for the Ukrainian population as well as the trading sector. Artillery blasts have raised the likelihood of forest fires as well as inflicting damage to food sources, putting food security at threat. Forest fires will also wreak havoc on the country's lumber and wheat supplies, resulting in food scarcity for Ukrainians and also the rest of the continent, as Ukraine is an important trade hub. The fires in the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve from the dispute were detectable from space and may have destroyed trees and unique habitats for birds in the largest nature reserve in Ukraine.  

Along with food, which is a critical aspect of human survival, another major impact is the country's habitability. Considering Ukraine is a heavily industrialized country, it already has one of the poorest air qualities in the region, and projectiles aimed toward such places of economic activity, because of its exposure and vulnerability; results in large and poisonous compounds contaminating the air and extending toxicity throughout the region and beyond. Russia has also planned to pressure Ukrainian military infrastructure, many of which are located near civilian areas, where those munitions have the potential to leave not only instantaneous destruction but also a longer-term lineage of heavily contaminated air and water that will be experienced by nearby residents long after the conflict has ceased. The use of explosive weapons in population centers causes pollution from pulverized building materials, which may include asbestos, metals, and combustion products, as well as enormous quantities of debris, which can contribute to soil and groundwater pollution by rupturing wastewater pipes. When light industry or facilities such as gas stations are located close to residential areas, pollution risks can be amplified. 

Weapons remnants, such as metals and explosives, are among the other pollutants. Russia has also been accused of using banned cluster munitions in urban areas, in addition to missiles and artillery. That's not to mention the heavy metals and other toxins in the air. Due to the nature of modern warfare, this will be immensely complex and irreversibly destructive when combined and fired. As the issue persists to disrupt electricity in homes, hospitals, and other public buildings, more people are turning to backup generators that rely on diesel, which emit fumes and those will be heavily contributing to dangerous concoctions in the atmosphere. As a result, this contaminates the land and groundwater, turning the economic core into a pollution hotspot. 

The world followed the action outside the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on February the 24th, remembering how the tremors from the Chernobyl tragedy 36 years before are still reverberating to this day. The area was seized by Russian forces, and elevated levels of gamma rays were detected on the same day. It doesn't end there; another nuclear reactor among Ukraine's 15 has also been reported to have been captured. If these places are destroyed, the world will be forced to witness history repeat itself. Not only will the radioactive decay have impact miles beyond Ukraine, but it also damages and scars bio and geodiversity intensively. 

This is merely a small part of the devastation and destruction that is, and will be, unleashed! 

As citizens of the world concerned about extreme climate change, global warming, and the welfare of the innocent, it is critical that we take more than a moment to confront and assist in this situation in any form we can, questioning proper authorities who have enabled this carnage to perpetuate. 
 A conflict is not a war if it is one-sided. 

Written by Aanisha Fathima

Adolescence. The stage in our life where we grow and discover so much more; we encounter new people, novel experiences and focus our lives on our deepest desires. Now, imagine it being snatched from your hands. Completely robbed. Instead, the weight of a new family's expectations and commitments knocks you to the ground. Over 650 million women worldwide have experienced it—married against their will when under the age of 18.

To most, it is nothing short of an awful crime; but to some, it is mere culture and tradition. With its origins rooted in ancient history, child marriage was once utilized as a weapon to keep women from being kidnapped by foreign sovereigns; however, like many topics, this was not the only reason. Child marriage may typically take place due to a number of reasons, the majority of which raises concerns about more well-known global issues. For most families, child marriage is a solution. A solution to poverty and the lack of government aid. For parents in financially risky situations or simply facing hardships in supplementing their income, marrying their daughters off early may be their only option to survive. On the other hand, these women and girls are degraded and seen as a financial burden to which it is sometimes a sign of dominance and strengthening social relationships with other members of their extended family (demeaning these women to be seen as an asset- that needs to be sold off).

It is truly a global issue directly related to gender inequality and the ingrained attitude that women and girls are inferior to men and boys—worsening through the years because of heightening poverty rates, detrimental social norms, and the lack of education. Apart from this, a significant player in the practice is the excruciatingly biased patriarchal systems - run by men - which has allowed this tradition of invalidating and dishonouring womens’ choices for several generations.

Not only are these women silenced, but they are also left with physical and psychological scars for the rest of their lives. They are unaware of the obvious crimes done against them because it demands young ladies who are mentally naïve to the world and its difficulties to be considered hugely liable. As a result, their mental health deteriorates, and they come to believe that this is the norm for everyone on the globe. Similarly, young married women are more likely to contract HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases; with this, these women are thought to have earlier pregnancies, disregarded difficulties during pregnancy and labour, and usually, become victims of domestic violence

The issue of child marriage is a major one. It is one that has been disregarded for too long. Child marriage is not exclusive to just females, as UNICEF has also concluded that a current estimate of over 115 million boys have been married off for similar reasons before the legal age of 18 – with an estimated 23 million males married before the age of 15. While the media usually focuses on child brides, a shocking number of young boys have also been pressurized into this sickening practice; with all of them facing the same fates as their tragic female counterparts.

Despite a drop in child marriages, children all across the world are being confined in this terrible manner. As the world becomes more aware, understanding of this subject should be considerably raised and, as a result, addressed. The international community may also realize that addressing this brings to light other serious issues, such as poverty, corruption, and empowerment.

​~ Aanisha Fathima ~