They indicated that it is not common to witness in the Kuwaiti community the kind of violence and murders that has been occurring these days, adding that this could have resulted from factors such as corruption through ‘wasta’, marginalized foreign workforce and the political unrest in the country.
Legal Advisor of Kuwait Journalism Association Hamdan Al-Namshan stated that it is usually the laws that prevent crimes in a country. However in Kuwait, it is not a major deterrent due to factors such as ‘wasta’, which allow a criminal to walk away free without being punished. This could in turn encourage not only him but also other individuals to commit crimes much more serious than the previous one.
Al-Namshan indicated that the lack of swift prosecution process could be another reason behind the growing rate of crimes in the country, adding that this problem can be solved by increasing the number of judicial establishments in the country.
Al-Namshan stressed that lack of respect among employees could attribute to crimes, citing the example of a police officer who recently shot and murdered another.
Crimes
Al-Namshan further indicated that the increasing number of marginalized foreign workforce due to the negative phenomenon of ‘visa racketeering’ also contributes to the increasing number of crimes.
He stressed that visa traders bring expatriate laborers into Kuwait for business purposes but after they receive their dues, the laborers are left stranded and are led to committing crimes such as prostitution, extortion and theft in order to earn a living.
Education expert and former deputy undersecretary of Ministry of Education Dr Yaqoub Al-Sharrah stressed educational establishments should not only focus on academic development of students but also their behavioral development, adding that both should be given equal priority.
He insisted that irrational behaviors displayed by students in schools should be dealt with immediate strict action particularly if the behaviors display an element of violence.
Dr Al-Sharrah encouraged families to support and cooperate with the schools in order to protect young children from adopting conducts that could lead to a criminogenic life.
He stressed that political conflicts in the community could negatively affect the youths in schools, adding that MPs, who focus on stirring sectarian conflicts in the society, assist in fueling sedition among citizens, which in turn leads to an increase in crimes in the society.
He recommended school curriculum to focus mainly on behavioral development and eradication of every negative behavioral aspect throughout the educational levels, demanding the civil society to play a vital role in spreading awareness among people of the society in a bid to reduce the crime rate of the country.
Economy expert Hajaj Bukhudoor demanded eradication of the negative phenomenon of ‘wasta’ from the society, adding that the law should be implemented equally on everyone without any discrimination between young or old.
He stressed that if any individual is accustomed to getting away with traffic or criminal offense, it might encourage him as well as others around him to commit other offenses in the society.
Bukhuduur also demanded eradication of the negative phenomenon of ‘visa racketeering’, stressing that it is considered the most common method for importing marginalized foreign laborers who end up engaging themselves in crimes particularly in areas where bachelors reside in large numbers.
Emotions
A psychology lecturer of Kuwait University Dr Khadr Al-Baroun attributed the increase in crime rate to the heightened emotions caused by political conflicts in the country, indicating that political tension has negatively influenced the behaviors of the frustrated members of the society.
Dr Al-Baroun pointed out that political stability plays a major role in creating calm and psychological balance in the people of a community.
Al-Baroun further indicated that growing rate of divorce cases is also one of the major reasons that frustrates members of a community and promotes violence.
He discouraged the circulation of weapons among citizens, which assist in increasing number of murder cases in the society, stressing that it is imperative to take tough actions against armed criminals particularly those who do not have a license to own arms.
Al-Baroun called upon families, schools, media and mosques to fight against violence in the community and treat criminogenic behaviors as one of the main causes for crimes in the country.
