Prevention of Neglect

In the context of the end of the academic year and the onset of the vacation period, in order to prevent crimes and offenses among adolescents, and to avert emergency situations involving minors, the district prosecutor's office has intensified oversight of the enforcement of legislation aimed at preventing neglect of minors, as well as the prevention of crimes and offenses.
The implementation of oversight over the enforcement of preventive legislation is one of the main areas of the prosecutor's office's activities.

Neglect is a social phenomenon characterized by the absence of proper control over the behavior and lifestyle of minors, which contributes to their committing acts that contain signs of administrative offenses or crimes.

Thus, it can be said that to some extent the causes and conditions for minors committing crimes and offenses are precisely neglect.

For any crime or offense, a person is held accountable before the law. Criminal liability under Belarusian legislation arises at the age of 16, but this is generally the case. The Criminal Code lists crimes for which liability arises from the age of 14. These include: murder; robbery; banditry; extortion; car theft; intentional destruction or damage to property; hooliganism, etc.
Among administrative offenses, the most common are: Article 10.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (petty theft), Article 17.3 (drinking alcoholic, low-alcohol beverages or beer in public places or appearing in public places in a state of intoxication), Article 17.1 (petty hooliganism, which the legislation classifies as insulting harassment of citizens and other intentional actions that violate public order), Article 10.9 (intentional destruction or damage to property), and other punishable acts. At the same time, for the offenses committed by minors, their parents are also held accountable; they are summoned to the administrative commission and pay a fine to the state for the actions of their child. The Code of Administrative Offenses also provides for the responsibility of parents for failing to fulfill their duties in raising children (Article 9.4), which entails liability in the form of a warning or a fine of up to 10 basic units. Thus, for the antisocial behavior of children, parents often pay the price.

During the summer holidays, when children spend most of their time out of the sight of teachers and parents, it is important to plan the child's vacation wisely, engaging them in active recreation or socially useful work, shielding them from the negative influence of the streets.

Deputy Prosecutor of the District S.P. Harbus