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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:20 pm
Time: 8:20 pm
Results for gangs (international)
1 results foundAuthor: Boulton, Michael Title: Living in a World of Violence: An Introduction to the Gang Phenomenon Summary: Gang violence is a feature of everyday life in some countries, where entire communities are dominated by gangs and gang culture. The violence affects men, women and children alike. Many victims are young people who are targeted by the gangs for recruitment and to carry out criminal activities. In fact, in certain regions, much of the gang violence is committed by children against other children. The gang phenomenon is increasing in certain areas and has proven difficult for many states to address. Some of the repressive measures taken against the gangs, by some of the Central American states for instance, have been found to be at variance with international human rights law. The result of escalating violence has been a steady outflow of people from these countries seeking international protection. Some have sought asylum in countries including the United States (US), Canada, Mexico, Australia and European states. This paper is an introduction to the gang phenomenon and aims to provide a brief overview of some of its characteristics globally. The reader will be provided with insights into gang culture, an understanding of how different gangs operate, the various forms of harm and violence involved, and how particular groups of persons are affected by gangs. Though gangs tend to vary widely in visibility, structure, activities, and historical and sociological origins, they share a number of common characteristics. A particular emphasis will be given to societies with serious gang problems where people have become the targets of gang-related violence and have been forced to seek protection across international borders, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Brazil and the Russian Federation. The paper also touches on how gang-related violence and government policies designed to combat gangs may cause displacement and lead to asylum claims. Decision-makers, practitioners and others working on refugee status determination, who wish to learn more about the gang phenomenon, may find the present paper helpful as background reading. As the paper is written from a displacement angle, it does not look at prison gangs, which have generally not surfaced in the gang-related asylum jurisprudence. After setting out the scope of enquiry (Section 2), the paper proceeds with an examination of the roots of gang culture from a historical and sociological perspective, highlighting the linkages between post-conflict situations and the emergence of gangs (Section 3). Gang activities and rituals are then analysed with a view to illustrating the significant levels of violence and human rights abuses related to gangs (Sections 4 and 5). Additionally, the impact upon migrants and displaced persons as groups vulnerable to victimization by gangs is assessed (Section 6). The final section of the paper focuses on the issue of state protection and the various approaches that states have adopted in seeking to address gang violence (Section 7). Details: Geneva, SWIT: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2011. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Legal and Protection Policy Research Series: Accessed June 22, 2013 at: http://www.unhcr.org/4e3269629.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.unhcr.org/4e3269629.pdf Shelf Number: 129140 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGangs (International) |