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On Sunday, the police in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate found 12-year-old Luise F. dead. Two girls aged 12 and 13 from their circle of acquaintances have confessed to the crime. They allegedly stabbed the girl several times with a knife. Dirk Baier, a delinquency researcher at the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich, classifies the case in an interview.
Mr BaierHow can 12 and 13 year olds become perpetrators?
Dirk Baier: On the one hand, there are children who already at the age of six or seven show a great affinity with violence or antisocial behaviour. They attract attention because they attack other children, torment animals, steal and damage property. On the other hand, there are completely flawless children who are lost in something. It is conceivable that there was a conflict in this case and that the perpetrators got caught up in fantasies of revenge and violence.
That alone does not lead to murder.
In this case, the group context can play a reinforcing role: the perpetrators were two persons and they may have encouraged each other in these fantasies and also in committing the crime. There are such cases.
Can 12 and 13 year olds understand what they are doing?
In principle yes. But in this case, there is evidence that the children’s reflective abilities were completely turned off.
How?
Apparently, the victim was stabbed frequently and intensely. It suggests that the girls were in a panic. We also see this in adults, for example in femicides. But children are even more likely than adults to lose control completely.
Is murder among children something new?
It is extremely rare for children to kill. Every year in Switzerland, two to three young people under the age of 15 are charged with murder.
Are you surprised that these are female perpetrators and not male perpetrators?
Yes. The more serious the crimes are, the more physical violence plays a role, the fewer girls or women are the perpetrators. In Germany, twelve minors are accused of murder every year, about one in four of them women.
What role do parents play in actions such as in Rhineland-Palatinate?
In this case it is unclear. In general, the influence of parents is great. On the negative side, if they use violence, solve their own problems with violence, children mimic it. And positively: if parents watch who their children interact with, are interested in them, show controlling behavior, parents can prevent their children from breaking norms.
Can society prevent such a serious act?
A residual risk remains. There will always be certain situations, biographical developments. This can only be avoided at the price of giving up freedoms in our liberal system. By introducing totalitarian surveillance as in China.
The Council of States wants to make possible the detention of juvenile delinquents. What do you make of it?
I don’t like it much. Research shows that increasing sentences and harsher sentences do not make society safer. Such measures are primarily a response to the wishes of the population. Ultimately, there will be one or two cases that will come up for discussion, should such a legal framework be created for this? I’m skeptical. My opinion: We should all be vigilant, treat each other with care and not hope that hard laws will solve social problems.
What should be done with the perpetrators now?
You have to make sure they don’t build a violent biography. Investigate what’s behind it and make sure you can resocialize them. But first they need to be placed somewhere else, perhaps in a closed house. There you can calmly clarify whether there is a psychological disorder behind it.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
