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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 10:54 pm
Time: 10:54 pm
Results for youth as victims of crime
1 results foundAuthor: Leoschut, Lezanna Title: Running Nowhere Fast: Results of the 2008 National Youth Lifestyle Study Summary: The Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention (CJCP) embarked on a National Youth Victimisation Study (NYVS) in 2005, which involved interviewing 4,409 young people between the ages of 12 and 22 years recruited from all nine provinces of South Africa. The study provided compelling evidence to suggest that young people in South Africa are disproportionately at risk of falling prey to crime compared to their adult counterparts. Since the initial study was intended to provide baseline data on the nature and extent of youth victimisation, the CJCP conducted a second sweep of the study in 2008. For the most part, the National Youth Lifestyle Study (NYLS) was an exact replica of the 2005 study except for two additional components to the questionnaire. A total of 4,391 young people in the specified age bracket responded to a survey questionnaire which explored, among other things, the nature and extent of crimes they may have experienced ever and in the past 12 months, their exposure to violence in different social contexts, self-reported offending and their engagement in risky behaviours – with the latter phenomenon having only received attention domestically in recent years. On the whole, the 2008 NYLS once again highlighted the plight of many children and youths in South Africa. The high incidence of violence exposure both in their family homes and in the communities in which they live suggests that violence is a characteristic feature of the social spaces that young people in South Africa occupy. With significant proportions of youths having ever witnessed other people (including members of their own family) being involved in physical fights either as victims or perpetrators, it is not surprising to find that young people grow up perceiving violence as a socially appropriate means of interacting with others and resolving interpersonal conflict. The high levels of violence exposure also increase young people’s vulnerability to direct victimisation. One in four youths interviewed had reportedly fallen prey to crime in the 12-month period between February 2007 and February 2008. Although the overall youth victimisation rates have decreased since 2005, young people are still being victimised at rates higher than that experienced by their adult counterparts, with the rates for violent crimes such as assault and robbery being more than double the rates observed among adults. The high incidence of assault among the youth could be attributed in part to the prevalence of corporal punishment which continues to be employed as a means of effecting discipline within South African schools and homes. These findings once again point to the lack of safe and violence-free spaces that young people have, and highlight the need for the creation of such spaces – and in particular safe and violence-free school contexts since quality learning cannot take place in an environment that elicits feelings of fear and apprehension. Also evident from the findings was the close proximity to which youths in this country live to criminal offenders. One in six youths had family members who had ever been incarcerated, while just less than a tenth of the youth sample reported having adult family members who in the year preceding the study had done things that could have gotten them in trouble with the police – factors that not only increase youths’ vulnerability to victimisation but also heighten their susceptibility to perpetrating criminal behaviours themselves. There is therefore a need for diversion programmes to be more readily available to young people at risk of perpetrating violence and other crimes. In addition to the social conditions described above that increase young people’s susceptibility to victimisation, youths were also found to engage voluntarily in activities that could potentially put them at risk of falling prey to victimisation. Substance abuse was widespread – with alcohol being the primary substance of abuse, followed by tobacco use and marijuana. These risk behaviours are not only known to be detrimental to young people’s health and well-being but were also found to be associated with their vulnerability to criminal victimisation. That is, data emerging from this study shows that young people who had ever consumed alcohol or used illicit drugs were significantly more likely than those who had never used any of these substances to have ever been the victim of any crime. What becomes apparent, therefore, is the need to reduce young people’s involvement in risky behaviour. Of particular concern is the early age at which young people initiate substance use and their personal reasons for maintaining these health-compromising habits. More specifically, the use of substances to relieve stress and the influence of friends on young people’s use of addictive substances became evident in this study. These findings point to the need for further investigation into the stressors that young people face in their daily lives. In addition, programmes aimed at educating young people about positive coping and stress management skills are imperative in the cessation of risky behaviour. Given the significant influence that friends have on young people’s behaviour, peers could play an instrumental role in this process through peer education programmes. Furthermore, an individual’s decision to engage or stop engaging in a particular behaviour is largely influenced by his/her perceptions of the specific behaviour. Although young people in this study recognise the harmful effects of substance use on their health, many perceive the behaviour to be beneficial to them in some way, including calming their nerves, helping them to relax and helping them to forget their troubles. Thus efforts aimed at reducing substance use and abuse among young people should also include components that address youths’ perceptions of these activities and educate them about alternative ways in which to calm their nerves, relax and resolve their problems. Young people also frequently engage in risky sexual behaviour, evident by the percentage of youths who had initiated sex prior to the age of 15 years, who had four or more sexual partners in their lifetime, who had ever consumed alcohol or other drugs prior to sexual activity, who had used condoms inconsistently and who had ever experienced a pregnancy. These findings point to the need for early interventions to raise awareness among children and youths about safe sexual practices, the importance of initiating sexual intercourse at a later age, and to provide them, particularly females, with the skills to enable them to negotiate safe sex practices within their intimate relationships. Although attempts have been made both at schools and via the media to educate young South Africans about the dangers of risky sexual behaviour, it seems that young people might still not know enough about this topic. Particularly pertinent is the finding that young people countrywide lack confidence in their futures and in their ability to achieve the goals and objectives they have set for themselves. What is needed, then, are programmes aimed at empowering the youth and increasing their sense of self-efficacy. An increased sense of self-efficacy and control over their future would result in youths making more positive choices about the activities and behaviours they engage in. Special attention should be paid to male children and youths given their propensity (as evidenced in this study) to engage in violent and other risk-taking behaviour. Details: Cape Town, South Africa: Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention, 2009. 152p. Source: Internet Resource: Monograph Series No. 6: Accessed November 11, 2011 at: http://www.cjcp.org.za/admin/uploads/NYLS-final.pdf Year: 2009 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.cjcp.org.za/admin/uploads/NYLS-final.pdf Shelf Number: 123309 Keywords: Crimes Against JuvenilesDelinquency PreventionVictimization Surveys (South Africa)Youth as Victims of Crime |