Muna Al Fuzai

A teenager boy stabbed his Kuwaiti mother 90 times in Zahra a week ago. The crime shook many in the Kuwaiti society, and social media debated the motives of the boy. Forensics reports confirmed that the suspect stabbed his mother 90 times and mutilated her face.

We read about such stories of death and murder every day. But, there are cases that leave us in pain, especially those who kill family members, such as parents. These crimes, especially in small communities such as Kuwait, require officials not only to imprison the killer, but also identify their motives. The reasons that led to the sad end of a young mother must be known for awareness, caution and guidance for other families who might be facing similar situations.

The juvenile prosecution has ordered the detention of the 17-year-old, who admitted to his crime. The father of the murderer told the media that his son suffers from schizophrenia and is being treated at the psychiatric hospital.

This type of killing is known as parricide, which is the killing of a parent or a near relative. This new phenomenon is spreading in many countries of the world as part of the many manifestations of deviations nowadays. In some US studies, family issues are at the top of the main motives for homicide. These crimes are committed by three types of children - those who suffer from family pressure in childhood; those who suffer from mental impairment; and those who suffer from excessive socialization or isolation.

This type of crime does not receive sympathy in society. Social media witnessed heated debates - almost everyone was either angry at the cruelty of crime, as if the killing of non-relatives is permissible, while others tried to justify the crime over the fact that the killer was mentally ill and should've stayed in hospital.

The psychological status of the killer is often the first claim made to the public, but this is not justified, because people often wonder why they are roaming free outside the psychiatric hospital and medical supervision. Why didn't doctors prevent these dangerous persons from leaving the hospital, even if the parents tried to take them out? These are reasonable questions.

Such claims of mental illness are no longer confined to crimes among citizens, but even when a maid kills a sponsor or a child, this readymade answer seems to appear as a justification for the crime, and no one calls to look deeply into the actual and true motives. I wonder if psychological illnesses can be considered as good excuses for tolerance of murder. I know that the law has an opinion about such crimes, but here I am talking about people's feelings and sentiments when hearing about such vicious crimes. This crime will not be the last, and unless we focus on public awareness among families with mentally-ill members and doctors, as well as the law to start taking serious action, nothing will change.