It seems like not a day goes past without reports about young people being murdered by fellow youths in Britain. And while the Home office say that youth crime has gone down over the last 10 years, the crimes committed seems to be increasingly worse.
Today, yet another teenager was found dead. A teenager between 17-18 years old was found dead and battered in a West Yorkshire park.
The home office says: “We are committed to continuing this success in tackling youth crime, but also reduce the fear of youth crime.”
It’s seems like a paradox that the Home Office feel the need to emphasis that they are committed to continue to tackle youth crime, as it is supposed to be their job. And anyone who has been attacked by youth gangs know that their fear of being a victim again is very real, particularly since there seem to be little legal protection available.
My friends and I were once attacked, and one of my friends was battered unconscious by tennagers hitting him with full beer cans. We didn’t provoke the situation we merely passed them and desperately tried to walk away. Worst of all, when the police showed up after we called for help, they had no interest in finding who did it. They blamed my friend who couldn’t even walk, for vandalising a car and they never took any of our details down or the description of the children who attacked us.
In 2007, 26 young people were killed in relation to gun and knife crimes in London. And statistic show that the numbers of killings where both victim and offender was under the age of 18 tripled last year, from 12 in 2005 to 37 in 2007. Also the numbers of teenagers convicted or cautioned over violent offences rose last year from 15,590 to 24,102, the Telegraph reported.
But youth crime does not just effect children, also adults who try to stand up to the gangs are frequent victims.
What I find particularly interesting every time a murder which is in relation to gang crime is reported on, is the need to characterise the victims as outstanding citizens. It’s like desperate pleas to determine their innocent. But how can victims ever be guilty? And does a teenager deserve to die if that person is a member of a gang?
Children are never evil, but the government has to stop babying young offenders and make them learn the consequences of their actions. On the website ‘ChildLine’ crime is defined: “Some examples of things which are against the law are: Stealing, carrying a knife or a weapon, physically hurting or attacking someone, taking drugs which are not for a medical condition, smoking when you are under 16 years old, driving a car without a license.”
By putting, physically hurting or attacking someone and carrying a knife or a weapon next to how it is illegal to smoke cigarettes, I am starting to see more clearly why Britain’s youths are so confused.
May 27, 2008 at 4:00 am
[...] theacec wrote a fantastic post today on “BRITAINâS TROUBLED YOUTH”Here’s ONLY a quick extractMy friends and I were once attacked, and one of my friends was battered unconscious by full beer cans. We didn’t provoke the situation we merely passed them and desperately tried to walk away. Worst of all, when the police showed up … [...]
May 30, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Britain is facing a crisis of child-on-child violence and the prevailing attitude appears to be one of incoherent fire-fighting. Hard-hitting viral campaigns, metal detectors in schools, and tougher punishments for carrying weapons, are all good strategies which will hopefully have an immediate impact on violent youth behaviour, but they are simply prescriptive, stop-gap solutions.
Whilst we welcome these new measures to protect young people, we are acutely aware that they do not address the root causes of conflict and violent behaviours. Young people are using violence, fear and exclusion to intimidate and threaten others. It is bullying in its most extreme form. When bullying goes unchecked in our schools and communities, the breeding ground for gang culture prospers.
There have been 28 teenagers stabbed to death already this year. We also know that this year at least 20 young people will take their own lives because they are being bullied. Whether killed by another youth, or dying at their own hands, too many young people are being bullied to death.
What we need is a comprehensive, joined up, coherent strategy to educate our young people in conflict resolution, anti-violence and anti-bullying behaviour. Intervene early against bullying and we can affect the growing culture of knife crime and gang related behaviour. We know that poor inter-faith and inter-community relations, truancy, and violent behaviour are all linked to bullying. As a result, fully-inclusive anti-conflict and bullying prevention work is essential if we are to significantly address this dystopia in which our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbours, are being murdered and terrorised by someone else’s children.
Beatbullying realises that this is not a problem that can be solved in months, so where is the comprehensive five-year strategy from any of our political parties? The problem bridges all areas of society, so we need a cross-departmental response from Government. At the moment, despite the promises and the prescriptive acts, the lack of a long-term, joined up response based on education and prevention, is beyond belief. We need leadership and a strong Government must stand up for our youth now.
Education is the key, but the responsibility cannot lie solely at the feet of the teacher. Beatbullying and a coalition of expert organisations, can deliver proven conflict resolution, anti-violence and anti-bullying programmes into every school, intervening early to prevent the escalation into the youth crimes and murders we are witnessing on our streets every week. Beatbullying has calculated that it will cost £45million over five years, to deliver this work into schools and youth groups across the UK, reaching every child in this country.
The viral campaign launched yesterday will cost £3million, in the hope that it will shock youngsters into stop carrying knives. Who knows how many it will reach, or how effective it will be. It’s time to look beyond trying to patch up a problem with disjointed, prescriptive acts, and deliver a preventative solution to benefit every young person, and society as a whole, over the next five years.