Youth Violence
Youth violence is a major issue which can have long-term negative consequences for victims, their families, friends, and communities. Today’s youth face increased and more greater burden than ever before as they must face external pressures such as poverty, disease, and violence. As per the UN World Population Prospects statistics, it was estimated that there are around 1.3 billion 15-24 years old in the world, with nearly one billion living in developing countries within which conflict have occurred.
Causes of conflict and violence
It appears that youths people are heavily impacted by the society in which they grew up. As a result, the background of those who commit or are subject to violence can make a contribution to youth violence. There may be different causes of conflict or violence :
- Early involvement with alcohol, drugs and tobacco
- Low intelligence and educational achievement
- Complicity in criminal activity
- Exposure to violence in the family
- Lack of bonding between parents and children
- Associating with peer influence or joining a gang
- Gang members, and also a local supply of illegal drugs
- Poverty
How to prevent youth violence?
- Enhance violence prevention programs in schools
- Work with agencies and organizations to prevent youth violence all around world
- Help to fund the “Safe to Learn” campaign to end violence in and around schools
- Programs that assist families and instruct positive parenting skills
- Life skills and social development opportunities for children and adolescents to enable them to manage their anger, deal with conflicts, and develop the required social ability to resolve trouble.
- Interventions to minimize harmful and addictive consumption
Other causes of Youth Violence
- According to research, youth violence might become a type of “street justice” in some communities due to a shortage of police protection. Whenever this takes place, young people may attempt to secure the surroundings by restoring order to the area through violence.
- Teenagers are much more likely to engage in violent or criminal behavior when their parents do not provide appropriate guidance. As a result, these teens tend to hang out with wrong kind of people, take wrong decisions.
- Dealing with tragic incidents could also lead to violent behavior in teenagers, because anger is a normal part of the grieving process, these teenagers’ violent outburst may appear justified.
Violence prevention program
The Violence Prevention Program is meant to help people involved minimize violence through a process of changing their thinking and behaviour. The program provides education and involvement methods to address previous violent and aggressive or destructive actions and/or beliefs in connections with others. It is presumed that even if people have committed violent acts against someone else are given training, skills, and opportunities, they can change their beliefs and abusive patterns in relationships.
Sources
https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ch14.pdf
https://www.verywellfamily.com/causes-of-youth-violence-2611437
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/youth-violence
https://www.alternativepaths.org/services/diversion-programs/violence-prevention-program
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/prevention.html
https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/role-youth-peacebuilding-challenges-and-opportunities
Access Date: July 2022
