Young female runaways send a message to society
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has recently conducted a study on a growing social problem — that of runaway girls or ‘escape girls’ who have ended up in detention centers after fleeing their homes. The problem has not reached the point of an epidemic, but is pronounced, with over 500 girls and young women categorized as runaways in the past several years.
As is always the case when dealing with the behavior of the younger generation, it does not do any good to be too reactive — instead, if we put energy into ascertaining why the phenomenon occurs we may have a better chance of dealing with it.
The Commission’s study indicates that many of these young female runaways do not have a high degree of education. Many also have problems at home, such as neglect and total lack of communication with parents and other family members.
In extreme cases some run away due to emotional or physical abuse by either parent or siblings. Any one of these scenarios may be the reason girls choose to run away — their home setting simply does not give them an adequate reason to stay.
Of course, if they leave home at a young age and with little education, their prospects out in the real world on their own are very bleak indeed. This is where young girls may end up in big trouble, and some are caught by the authorities and sent to a detention center. But rather than punishing girls for running away, it would be much more constructive if we could deal with conditions at the home that put them at risk.
It is interesting however, that about 38 percent of the girls in the Commission’s study were between 21 and 25 years old — while over 50 percent were of ages 16 to 20. It would appear to me that there is a material difference between these two groups.
Young women over 21, unlike their younger counterparts, are emotionally and developmentally mature. They are, in fact, adults, and surely their decision to leave home must be viewed in a different light? Rather than criminalyzing these women, an effort must be made to bring them back into productive society with better educational and job opportunities.
There is no denying that our society is changing. Perhaps it is time to view young women living on their own as a valid lifestyle choice, and to encourage their employment and participation in society.
The fact that so many girls and young women choose to run away from their homes is undoubtedly a social problem, but it is helpful to view it from a broader perspective.
What message are these girls and women trying to send us? What are they seeking? How can we best respond? If we do not wish these young women to live on the outskirts of society, we have to make a more understanding and hospitable space for them within it.
@ DrAlaaGhamdi
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