Juvenile victimization's features and ways of it's prevention

Abstract

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the victimhood of minors in the mechanism of criminal behavior.
 The aim of the article is to study the main features of victimhood of minors and identify ways to prevent it. The authors propose their own classification of sources of increased victimhood of minors. Particular attention is paid to the identification of determinants that contribute to the victimization of minors. Analysis of juvenile victimhood and its components allowed the authors to reveal the characteristics of the juvenile's personality, identify factors and conditions that catalyze this process, and socially justified measures to be developed and taken for victimological prevention of juvenile involvement in illegal activities. Examining the consequences of domestic violence against minors, the authors noted that they are closely related to many adverse health effects that affect the functioning of the brain and nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and urogenital system, immune and endocrine functions. The propensity for violence in childhood is also closely linked to further risky behaviors, such as alcohol and drug abuse and smoking. Juvenile victims of violence are also at increased risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal behavior.
 For society, domestic violence is manifested in the loss of human lives as a result of murders and suicides of minors, as well as the emergence of persons with mental and physical disabilities, low social status and deviant behavior. It should also be emphasized that a child can be both a direct and indirect victim (witness of violence) and at the same time face serious negative consequences that affect the emotional and cognitive well-being of the individual at each stage of development.