By Kotie Geldenhuys
Photos/images courtesy of Unsplash
Childhood is meant to be a time of learning, play and innocence. Sadly, for some children, it becomes the beginning of a journey into crime. Across many communities, young people are becoming involved in illegal activities at an age when they should still focus on school and growing up. We wanted to find out what makes a child cross the line from playground games to criminal activity.
Children across the world face hardships growing up; in South Africa, these difficulties are often intensified by deep social inequality and widespread violence. Frequently described as one of the most violent countries globally, South Africa has also been labelled a “risk society,” where poverty, food insecurity, child-headed households and constant exposure to violence form part of many children’s daily realities. For some young people, these harsh conditions contribute to a troubling outcome: involvement in crime. Minors have been linked to serious offences including murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, housebreaking, drug possession, rape, assault, theft and malicious damage to property.
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[This is only an extract of an article published in Servamus: May 2026. This article is available for purchase.]