Campaigns have been launched on Facebook and Twitter to help search for teenagers and children who have gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Recently, Ahmad, a four-year-old boy, went missing in Taif. It was later discovered that he was murdered by his stepmother. The crime shook Saudi society. A 15-year-old girl recently went missing in Al-Khobar. She was found eight days later. A 14-year-old boy, who is memorizing the Holy Qur'an, went missing and after an intensive police search, was found at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Nobody knows why he ran away from home. Al-Watan Arabic daily asked a number of experts for their views on the subject. It was found that some youths run away from home because of social and psychological reasons while others are persuaded to do so by criminals and people with ulterior motives. Muhammad Abdullah Al-Mutawa, a criminal psychology professor at Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University, said that youngsters run away from home because of sweeping changes taking place in society. There are also external factors which have a negative impact on youngsters' behavior, he added. “There are social and psychological changes that are having a negative impact on society, that's why youngsters run away from home without telling their parents. They end up falling prey to bad companions and perverts.” Most youngsters run away from home looking for emotional and psychological security. They end up in trouble and get arrested, said Al-Mutawa. Some people use the identification cards of runaways to rent places to conduct terrorist acts, he said, adding that social institutions should play a greater role in protecting these runaways. Protection centers will help limit the number of cases before the situation spirals out of control, he said. “The current role of social institutions is very limited. Centers should be set up in main cities. These centers should take family, psychological and physical violence cases,” said Al-Mutawa. Dr. Saleh Abdullah Al-Dabal, professor of criminal sociology and dean of the Business Administration College at Hotat Bani Tamim, said there are factors such as psychological and social instability which make youngsters run away. “Using strict methods to raise kids makes them feel as if they are living in a detention center. They are reproached for any small mistake and deprived of the freedom to make decisions related to their lifestyle, the clothes they wear, and the guests they invite home.” Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Al-Nujaimi, member of the Jurisprudence Scholars Academy, said that there are two reasons why youngsters run away from home. First, parents who use violence against children. Second, bad upbringing. A judge should first find out why a youngster has run away before punishing him and anyone involved with him, said Al-Nujaimi. Dr. Nassir Al-Oraifi, assistant professor of criminal psychology, Head of Academic Studies at King Fahd Security College and member of the Committee for Advising Deviant Youngsters, concurred with the above views. Dr. Muhammad Shawoosh, psychology consultant, said that youngsters run away for several reasons such as “family disintegration, feelings of insecurity, emotional deprivation and family negligence”. Families and schools should focus more on building character based on good values, said Shawoosh. __
