spirit in any area which is just an aggregation of houses. Many years
must pass before there can be anything like a desirable balance of
community interests in such an area. Juvenile delinquency in new housing
settlements might conceivably be reduced, if, in future, State houses
were not erected in extensive blocks, but were built in such smaller
numbers as could be more easily integrated into existing communities of
people.
=(2) Recreation and Entertainment=
As in other forms of delinquency, the recent outbreak of immorality or,
more correctly, the revealed evidence of it has directed the minds of
many to an assumed dearth of organized recreation and entertainment.
Such a thought more easily rises to the mind when it is known that many
cases have occurred in new settlements where the building of State
houses has gone far ahead of the ability of the community to arrange for
the provision of playing fields, halls, and clubs.
Further, those who have special ideas of the importance of hobbies, pet
animals, square dancing, and things of that sort have been active in
urging upon the Committee that greater attention should be given to such
matters as possible ways of alleviating the trouble.
It is true that a child who joins sporting and other clubs, or has its
mind directed towards hobbies or other interests, is less likely to
become a delinquent than one whose thoughts are not similarly occupied.
But it is wrong to assume that the present trouble can be cured by the
extension or encouragement of such activities. The reason is that the
pre-delinquent is not attracted by such forms of recreation or healthy
pleasure. If he is persuaded to join a club or society, he may soon make
such a nuisance of himself that the leader will be obliged, for the good
of the club, to rebuke him or warn him that he will not be allowed to
attend in future unless he behaves. The pre-delinquent, therefore,
either does not join, or else soon leaves, a club where he cannot feel
happy. He is inclined toward a friendship with somebody else whose
nature is compatible with his own. From this companionship a group of
wayward children may be formed. They incite one another; they conspire
together; they attract the attention of others; the group may become a
gang. From the pairs, the group, or the gang, mischief or immorality
soon begins, while all around there are many clubs and societies
suitable and available for them.
Furthermore, single-sex clubs will not provide the answer for those who
desire the companionship of the other sex. In our society, boys and
girls must meet socially. It is part of the growing-up process and, if
supervised carefully and unobtrusively[4], the mixing of boys and girls
can be very advantageous.
From the evidence given by witnesses, the following four points emerge:
(_a_) The school today provides so many interests and activities
that the time of the pupil is fully occupied. Since it is
essential to retain the family group as much as possible, in
general, children should not be encouraged to go out excessively
on week nights. The competition of organizations for good school
children as leaders can become unsettling to the young.
(_b_) Adolescents who have left school provide a field in which
club organizations are able to provide interests and activities
for those who have left the directed conditions of school life and
are entering on the freedom of adulthood. Many of these activities
will be for both sexes and their success depends upon trained
leadership.
(_c_) There is much advantage in having the clubs and
organizations within a community locally co-ordinated. Over
lapping can be avoided, facilities are more easily provided, and
the opportunity is given to youth to share in the interests and
efforts of the adult community.
(_d_) The Committee warmly commends the work of all those
societies and clubs which have been active in promoting the
well-being of young people. Chief among the difficulties faced by
these character-building organizations which have made
representations to the Committee is the lack of trained
leadership. Their appeal is for more leaders and for some means by
which these leaders may be trained.
But however desirable and commendable all these services to youth
are, and even allowing for the fact that without them some
children might slip into bad ways, their further development will
not provide the cure. Indeed, much of the immorality which has
occurred has been among children who have had the fullest
opportunity for healthy sport and recreation.
=(3) Liquor and Gambling=
It was strongly urged by religious and benevolent organizations, and
also by many private people, that juvenile delinquency could be
attributed in part to the effects of drinking and betting.
The Committee realizes that drinking and gambling to excess may well be
symptomatic[5] of the type of home where there is child neglect. There
is no need to stress the obvious. But the matter does not rest there.
Much danger is inherent in the view that no social occasion is complete
without liquor. It has come to the notice of the Committee that many
parents are conniving at the practice of having liquor at adolescent
parties. Such parents are being unfair to young people, and the
Committee considers that if right-thinking parents took a firm stand in
this matter a sound lead would be given to the community as a whole.
_X. The Home Environment_
=(1) Feelings of Insecurity: The Unloved Child=
A harmonious emotional development during childhood is one of the most
important factors influencing human behaviour. Any child who feels
unloved, unwanted, or jealous of the care and attention given to other
members of the household suffers from a feeling of insecurity. This
feeling of insecurity renders the child more susceptible to influences
leading to delinquency.
The mother's attitude to the child is of prime importance. There is a
psychological link between mother and child from the very moment of
birth--a link that can be substantially strengthened by breast feeding
as far as it is practicable. The attitude of the mother to the child,
even before birth, may well have a marked effect upon the child's sense
of security. If pregnancy was not welcomed by the mother, her child may
come into the world under a distinct handicap, that of being an unwanted
child. Subsequent adjustment may not be as satisfactory as she imagines
it to be.
There is often, however, a vast difference between the parents' love of
a child and the child's subsequent idea of being loved. The love that
every child needs is affection combined with wisdom--a wisdom that will
show itself in a watchful concern for the child's well-being throughout
childhood to late adolescence. It can be summed up as the kind of love
found in a warm family life where all the members--father, mother, and
children--are in a proper relationship the one to the other. This
relationship is mere difficult to obtain where the child was unwanted or
where one parent becomes unwilling to share with the child the love
which he or she formerly alone received from the other parent.
A child living in an abnormal family environment, whether that
abnormality arises from the birth of the child or the maladjusted
personality of a parent, is the type of child which may later seek
compensation in irregular sexual behaviour. But the child who, during
its early years, lives in an environment where it feels secure, loved,
and accepted is not likely to become a deviant.
Evidence has been presented to the Committee of many cases of
delinquency which may fairly be traced to one of the following causes:
_(a) Emotional Disturbances_ that have arisen out of a divorce,
separation, or remarriage. An emotional upset may arise from a
home that is broken by a divorce or separation or, equally
important, from a home in which tension follows discord between
the parents.
_(b) Poor Discipline_ arising out of a parental notion that love
for the child can be shown by gifts in money or kind, or by
allowing the child to do what it wants to do. Many of the parents
of delinquent children are in that category of people who have
been far too indulgent with their children and have been unable to
say 'No'. It is a big mistake to suppose that the respect and love
of a child will be lost by firm, kindly guidance. The Committee
has evidence that a large group of delinquents detained in an
institution attributed their situation to the failure of their
parents to be firm with them in early life.
_(c) Lack of Training for Parenthood:_ It was somewhat alarming to
find that many parents have found the responsibilities of home
life too much for them. They had entered into matrimony without
having had their attention drawn to the ways in which a home can,
and should, be managed.
The duties which one spouse legally owes to the other are fairly
well known. Thanks particularly to the efforts of the Plunket
Society, great help is available in the rearing and management of
babies. But there is a big gap in the knowledge of the art of
home-making possessed by many parents. Much of that gap has been
filled in by the school, the church, and various youth
organizations, but the more these outside agencies do the less
inclined are some parents to shoulder their own personal
responsibilities. The home should be the place in which all these
activities are co-ordinated: they should supplement home training
and not subtract from it.
_(d) Lack of Responsibility:_ There was no need for anybody to
stress this factor before the Committee--it stood out as a matter
of grave concern. Many of the parents of children affected by
recent happenings throughout the Dominion showed a deplorable lack
of concern for their responsibilities not only to their own
children, but to the associates of their children. It is one thing
to trust a youth; it is quite another thing for parents to go away
for a day of golf or to spend their week-ends away from home
leaving the boy to his own devices. It is one thing for Mrs A to
give her daughter permission to stay the week-end with Mrs B's
daughter, and for Mrs B, to give permission for her daughter to
stay the same week-end with Mrs A's daughter. It is quite another
thing when neither Mrs A nor Mrs B shows that interest in their
daughter which would prevent their being shocked on finding from
the police weeks later that the week-end was spent with other
adolescents in the house of Mr and Mrs X, while those parents in
turn had trusted their son. A simple inquiry by the parents of A,
B, or X during or after the week-end could not be resented, and,
indeed, children would respect their parents more if such an
inquiry were made.
Of lesser import, but still indicative of a lack of awareness of
responsibility, is the attitude of parents who give money to their
children to go to the pictures in order to get them out of the way
without even bothering to look at the programme to see if it is a
suitable one for children.
Admittedly, parenthood, if it is not to end in disaster or the
fear of disaster, is a great responsibility. It involves a
continual struggle against harmful influences from outside. It
demands also parental interest in the activities of the children
and sometimes a measure of self-denial for the children's sake.
Wisdom and experience combine in suggesting to all parents that
they should guide their children, and not be governed by them.
Those who read this report might usefully ponder the question
whether the ever-increasing way in which responsibilities in
character building are being assumed by schools, libraries, clubs,
and many other organizations has not made parents less heedful of
their own personal responsibilities for the training of their
children.
While the Committee realizes that the care shown by some parents
for their children has proved to be inadequate, there are many
parents who are examples of what parents ought to be. Above all,
the Committee wishes to stress that parents should not suffer from
feelings of inadequacy owing to a spate of modern knowledge often
expressed in semi-technical terms. Parents should enjoy their
children, and this enjoyment will lead to increasing co-operation
within the family.
=(2) Absent Mothers and Fathers=
Many persons have expressed the opinion that sexual immorality among
young people arises, in part, from the fact that mothers are frequently
absent from their homes at times when their children need their care and
guidance.
Mothers who leave children to their own devices are in three categories:
(_a_) Nearly one-third of the delinquent children whose cases were
considered by the Committee belonged to homes where the mother
worked for wages. Another survey showed that, in a closely
populated area, 25 per cent of the mothers of pupils of a
post-primary school went out to work. Some mothers may need to
work; but many of them work in order to provide a higher standard
of living than can be enjoyed on the wages earned by their
husbands, or because they prefer the company at an office, shop,
or factory to the routine of domestic duties.
(_b_) The second category comprises those wives and mothers who
extend their social, and even their public, activities beyond the
hour at which they should be home to welcome their children on
return from school. Happy and desirable is the home where the
children burst in expectantly or full of news concerning something
that interests them!
(_c_) The third category of absentee mothers consists of those who
give their children money to go to the pictures, while they
themselves go to golf, or to a football match, or pay a visit to
friends.
When dealing with this kind of thoughtlessness it should be pointed out
that fathers are not free from blame. As breadwinners they have
necessarily to be away from home throughout the day, but they have
opportunities in the evenings and at week-ends to identify themselves
with their children's interests and activities.
A satisfactory home life can be attained only by the co-operation of
both parents in the upbringing of their children.
=(3) High Wages=
In striking contrast to the contention that the cost of living is so
high that mothers are obliged to work is the complaint that many young
people have too much money. This applies both to school children and to
boys and girls who have commenced working.
It cannot be denied that many children have too much spending money, and
that others show too great a desire to have it.
It is also a well-known fact that many children are not content to do
normal tasks at home when they are able to obtain good pocket money by
doing odd jobs for others.
The starting wage for adolescents is often somewhat high, and thrift is
not practised by them. A few years hence, these adolescents may be in
the ranks of those who complain of their inability to obtain homes. This
has prompted people to urge that a compulsory savings scheme should be
instituted to guard young people from the evils of misspent leisure and
to develop in them that sense of reliability which is so often lacking.
There is certainly something wrong when mothers work to increase the
income of the household while youths, who may be paid nearly as much as
parents with family responsibilities, spend their earnings on expensive
luxuries.
If juvenile delinquents were admitted to probation instead of being
admonished or placed under supervision, it might be practicable for the
Courts, in suitable cases to make it a condition of probation that the
offender paid a portion of his earnings into a compulsory savings
scheme. Even if such a procedure could be devised it would apply only to
those who have become delinquents when the major consideration should be
given to the problem of the pre-delinquents. This is a matter to be
considered further in Section XVI of this report.
_XI. Information on Sex Matters_
For many years the expression "sex instruction" has been used and
understood by most people. The Committee makes clear its appreciation of
the fact that the term is inadequate as not indicating that the sexual
relations of man and woman should be a harmonious blend of the physical
and the spiritual. Many parents of children will agree that they
themselves obtained only a knowledge of the mechanical aspects of sex
from school companions. Even this information was often gleaned from
undesirable conversations. Such parents wish that their children should
receive this knowledge in a totally different fashion.
The terms "sex instruction" and "sex knowledge" are employed here for
other terms are not yet in common usage.
In some of the cases investigated by the police the children concerned
appear to have been very ignorant of the rudimentary facts of the
subject. In other cases they showed knowledge far in advance of what
would be expected. This advanced knowledge was, however, only in respect
of isolated portions of the subject.
The striking contrast between ignorant and precocious children confirms
the view that a statement is required as to when the information should
be given, who should give it, and what should be its source.
=(1) When Should This Information be Given?=
The best time to give any information is when a child asks a question.
The simple answer giving no more than is necessary is the desirable one.
The question "Mummy, where do babies come from"? should not involve a
dissertation on sex. If this method of approach is clearly understood,
the parent need never be worried about the time to impart information.
=(2) Who Should Give This Information?=
As children show varying degrees of curiosity concerning the subject at
varying ages, the initial information should not be given as part of
school instruction, but should come from a parent or parent-substitute.
Since parents are obviously those best suited for imparting this
knowledge, why do they so frequently fail to carry out this duty--a
failure that is not restricted to any intellectual or economic group?
First, there is a sense of guilt in parents concerning sexual relations,
born out of their own unfortunate initiation into a knowledge of a
subject discussion of which was generally frowned upon in their young
days.
Secondly, there is a real difficulty. As the sex organs are also the
channels for the elimination of waste, exaggerated modesty often hinders
discussion.
Thirdly, there is often a genuine ignorance on the part of parents
concerning what to say in answer to the natural questions of a child and
what terms to use in reply--terms that will be neither embarrassing to
the parent nor unintelligible to the child.
Fourthly, many parents are not convinced of the necessity for any
special action by them. They feel that, as the child grows, it will
assimilate this knowledge, but they do not give consideration to the
source from which the knowledge may be obtained, or the manner in which
it will be imparted.
=(3)The Source of Information=
There is a need for reliable sources of knowledge for the parents.
Suitable literature with a matter-of-fact approach that may yet include
the spiritual factor will remove self consciousness. An indirect
approach is not helpful. Specimen conversations between parent and child
can be readily adapted for any family.
Not all available literature on this subject is of equal quality.
Several religious organizations already have publications suitable for
the members of their respective denominations. The Committee is also
informed that the Federation of Parent-Teacher and Home and School
Associations, in conjunction with several experts, is now in the course
of publishing pamphlets suited to different age groups.
The barrier between parent and child can be lifted by meetings where
talks are given and films shown. Heads of schools, in conjunction with
Parent-Teachers' Associations could invite, on separate occasions,
mothers with their daughters, fathers with their sons, or both parents
together. The special value of such gatherings would be to enable those
with adolescent children to do what they regret having avoided doing in
earlier years.
It will be argued that, whatever is done to help parents, there will
still be a proportion likely to baulk at giving the information. Some
may even remain indifferent. There could be no objection to some
unaccompanied girls or boys attending the meetings for parents and
children. The Committee states its views on sex instruction in schools
elsewhere in the report. It is stressed here that sex instruction given
in the absence of the parents may well increase the number of parents
who neglect what should be a jealously guarded privilege.
In conclusion, parents should remember that, even though adolescents may
appear to possess a great deal of knowledge, it may be factually
inaccurate and, above all, may require putting into correct perspective.
This applies particularly to the older adolescents who have been
involved in criminal charges. That group may have practical experience
of the mechanics of sex; what they require is a more wholesome outlook
on the intimate relations of man and woman.
_XII. The Influence of Religion on Morality_
A common element in many of the statements made to the Committee is a
desire for a better spiritual basis in our society on which a sound code
of morals may be built.
=(1) The Need for a Religious Faith=
The consensus of opinion before the Committee is that there is a lack of
spiritual values in the community. This is not merely because the
majority of people do not go to church, but because of the general
temper of society and standards of morality. Most people would affirm
some sort of belief in God, but are unable to relate it to their daily
lives.
It may be a matter of argument that morality is dependent on religion,
but the structure of western society and our codes of behaviour have, in
fact, been based upon the Christian faith. If this faith is not
generally accepted, the standard of conduct associated with it must
deteriorate.
Signs are not lacking that people are turning away from a purely
materialistic conception of life, and seeking a more spiritual basis for
conduct.
The recent disclosures in the Hutt Valley indicate a largely nominal
church affiliation in most of the cases under review. Although it was
stated that thirty-six per cent of the offenders attended church or
Sunday School regularly, and that sixty-four per cent had never attended
or had ceased to attend, closer examination of the individual cases
would be required before any deduction could be drawn from the figures
given to the Committee. It is, however, safe to assume that there was
little religious teaching; and it is unfortunately true that there was a
failure to observe moral standards. The acceptance of the Christian
position cannot fail to promote good conduct in all fields including the
relationship between the sexes.
=(2) The Need for Religious Instruction=
The Committee considers that the Nelson system of religious teaching in
schools should be encouraged and developed. In so far as the basic
philosophy of education in New Zealand may not be religious, the
Committee notes that a conference between the Department of Education
and the New Zealand Council for Christian Education is being arranged.
Church activities among youth affected were criticized on the grounds
that they appealed only to the "good boys and girls", or to those who
already belong to a church. This situation presents a challenge which
needs to be met, and it will demand, in particular, a consideration of
how young people are to be encouraged to spend their time on Sundays.
=(3) The Need for Family Religion=
As family life is vital in this inquiry something must be said about
religion in the home. It is clear that, other things being equal, a home
with a real religious atmosphere is a good safeguard against immorality,
and a sound background for moral teaching, particularly for the
development of knowledge about sex.
The practice of family religion is to be strongly endorsed.
_XIII. The Family, Religion, and Morality_
=(1) The Importance of the Family=