14th July, 2008

MAL FLETCHER

London

Earlier this month , yet another teenager died as a result of gang-related violence in London - the eighteenth this year.

An Independent on Sunday investigation suggested that almost 14,000 people a year are injured in knife attacks. Some authorities believe the number may be much higher, because many people do not report their injuries for fear of reprisals.

In gangs, like mobs, people will often do things they may never do on their own. In the UK, gangs are made up most often of boys or young men, aged 12-15 or 12-18, drawn mostly from the same or similar ethnic groups.

And gangs are by nature extremely territorial. Members will do almost anything - even commit murder - to protect an area, street or neighbourhood that they call their own.

For some young people, gangs represent excitement, risk, adventure. For others, they provide protection and belonging: there's prestige in wearing the gang's colours. For some, of course, gangs are about making money - which is why gang culture and drug dealing are so closely intertwined.

Some governments, in the UK and Europe generally, have tried to deal with the problem of youth violence with so-called zero tolerance penalties, including tougher prison sentences.

There's no doubt that, at least in London's case, more visible 'bobbies on the beat' might provide some deterrent against crimes of this kind. CCTV cameras can't take the place of police personnel. In fact, in many areas of the capital, many of the cameras don't work and those that do are relatively useless when it comes to actually preventing a crime.

Tougher law enforcement measures may also help to get some guns off the street, which would be great. Yet on their own, these measures sometimes seem to make matters worse. It's as if violent kids feel the need to hit back even harder at a system that's out to get them.

Before we can find lasting solutions to the violence problem, we need to try to understand the psychology of violence. Some people who work on the front lines with violent teenagers put them into two categories: the "initiators" and the "imitators".

Initiators learn violence in an abusive or neglectful home. Sustained abuse affects their ability to exercise control, to express empathy and see the consequences of their actions.

In the end, they can't channel their emotions in a healthy way. In fact, studies have shown that with these initiator kids, it's the act of violence itself that has a calming or soothing effect.

Children who are physically abused in the home will often store up a deep need for revenge. As they get older and physically stronger they see the chance to make the shift from being underdog to "top dog".

They know they're less likely to be attacked when they're strong, so they put a premium on getting respect. That's what the gang-like designer clothes, jewellery and weapons are all about - respect.

Some violent kids talk about a kind of tipping point into violence. Something triggers a memory of past abuse and they suddenly feel propelled into a state of almost uncontrollable fury. At the time, they don't really seem able to see or hear the people who are trying to calm them down.

If their victim pleads for mercy, it makes them angrier, because it reminds them of how defenceless they felt when they were abused.

Then there are imitator kids: those who come from ordinary homes and on the surface have no real need to be violent. They often become violent as a way to avoid being bullied; they imitate violence to get a higher power rating among their peers.

So what can be done to turn all this around? At the government level, I think, it would definitely help to have more support for the traditional family unit.

In some parts of the world today we have political leaders whose policies seem to support every definition of family apart from the traditional one, as if 'traditional' were a pejorative word.

It's very important, of course, that government funding supports things like single parent families. But all too often, I think, government handouts make the break-up of a marriage seem as practically viable as keeping it together.

And growing government support for same-sex partnerships and IVF for same-sex couples diverts much-needed funding away from measures that would strengthen the traditional family, which has always been the bedrock of society.

Some will argue that politics has no place interfering in marriage and family, or that you can't legislate morality. Actually that's what good law is, at its most fundamental level - the codifying of standards of behaviour based on solid, proven values.

I think governments have a duty to show positive discrimination in favour of the traditional family, because time and again studies have shown that children experience fewer development problems when they have a father and a mother in a stable family home.

Governments must also show a much greater commitment to organisations that have a proven track record in helping troubled young people. Now, I know about this because I ran a very large national network for young people in Australia for a number of years.

Despite its size, success - it was the fastest growing youth organisation in the nation - our organisation found it difficult to get funding from governments. Why? Only because we refused to hide the fact that our values were based on faith.

Local governments could do a lot more, too. A lot has been said about the need for sex education and even teaching about so-called "alternative sexuality". But in many areas very little has been done to provide training or counselling that would actually help young people deal with violent impulses.

Media leaders also have a role to play. Media producers and film-makers have long said that when they show violence they're not creating the problem; they're simply reflecting what goes on in society. I wonder, though, how many times you can reflect something before you start reinforcing it - especially in the pliable minds of children.

A number of studies have shown that repeated exposure to violence in the media actually desensitizes children. It makes them less likely to be horrified by violence. It also makes them less likely to intervene if they see someone else being victimized.

Of course, parents have a huge role to play - perhaps the most central role - in reducing gang violence. But without support governments and community leaders, many parents - particularly those who have themselves grown up in an environment of violence and abuse - find it difficult to cope with troubled teenagers.

Mal Fletcher is a speaker, author, broadcaster and the founder/director of Next Wave International, a Christian mission to contemporary cultures with a special focus on Europe, and EDGES TV.

Reproduced with permission from www.nextwaveonline.com. Copyright Mal Fletcher 2008.

FOR PART ONE - YOUTH VIOLENCE AND GANGS IN THE UK - A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE

Some authorities have called youth violence a public health issue, because it's like a virus that spreads from child to child.

     Last week , I stood outside the Damilola Taylor Centre in Peckham, London and pondered again how we could have come to a situation where, in some European cities, violence by and against teenagers has reached chronic proportions.

     MAL FLETCHER writes about the problem of youth violence in the UK...  | more... |

FOR PREVIOUS ISSUES OF WORLDVIEW:

IN THE SHADOW OF THE DAM, LESOTHO COMMUNITIES LONG FOR WATER

The massive dams built by South Africa and Lesotho in the mountain kingdom's highlands have proven a success for the economies of both countries. The Christian Council of Lesotho is worried, however, that the residents displaced by the project are bypassed when it comes to the benefits.

     Malethibela Lits'esane, 35, gazes up to the mountains surrounding the village of Ha Makhalanyane in Lesotho, the kingdom encompassed by mighty South Africa. She longs for the life she once lived several miles beyond those mountains. Five years have passed since she and her husband Emmanuel, 36, were forced from their village of Lamapong Ha Koporala. When the Mohale dam was built, many of the people living in the surrounding area were resettled to other locations. Two of them were the Lits'esanes.

     CHRISTIAN JOHANNESSEN reports...  | more... |

ESSAY: BELARUS - "WE ARE RECLAMING OUR HISTORY AS A LAND OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM"

Belarus has been renowned for freedom of conscience for centuries. This is why religious freedom - which the current state authorities have been trying to restrict for the past decade - remains a key concern for Belarusian citizens.

     In the largest campaign of its kind since current President Aleksandr Lukashenko came to power in 1994, between April 2007 and February 2008 over 50,000 people signed a petition asking the Constitutional Court and other state organs to change the restrictive 2002 Religion Law. Moreover, according to those who collected signatures, every second person approached agreed to support the appeal. Petitioners signed even though the state arrested campaign activists and confiscated campaign material.

     In an article first published by Forum 18 News Service, ANTONI BOKUN, By Antoni Bokun, pastor of John the Baptist Pentecostal Church in Minsk, Belarus, describes how Belarusians' historical experience has taught them that "religious freedom elevates our nation, whereas religious un-freedom leads to the darkest and most tragic consequences"...  | more... |

US ABSENT AS 100 COUNTRIES MEET IN DUBLIN TO FINALISE GLOBAL CLUSTER BOMB BAN

Representatives of more than 100 governments gathered in Dublin, Ireland yesterday to begin writing the final text of a global treaty banning cluster bombs that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. The Vatican, church groups and aid agencies amongst others have called for a ban for a number of years. However, the United States - historically, the world’s largest producer, stockpiler, and user of the deadly weapons - isn’t at the negotiations

     A report from Ekklesia... | more... |

INDIAN CHURCHES CONDEMN 'COMMERCIALISATION' OF FAITH

Indian church leaders attending a once-every-four-years meeting of the National Council of Churches in India in Shillong have spoken out against what they describe as the growing commercialisation of the Christian faith.

     "Churches too are caught in the trap of seeing people primarily as individual customers, and the Christian faith becomes a product to be marketed," lamented Bishop Dinesh Kumar Sahu, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in India, a grouping of Orthodox and Protestant churches.

ANTO AKKARA reports for Ecumenical News International... | more... |

WORLDVIEW SOUNDBITE: ZIMBABWE, AFGHANISTAN AND THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

4th May, 2008

   DAVID ADAMS speaks to international aid consultant CHRIS PIPER about Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and the global food crisis... | more... | (13 mins/3 MB) (NOTE: Since this interview was recorded, official results for the presidential election in Zimbabwe have been released which put opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the lead but did not, according to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), give him an outright victory. The ZEC has said it will release a date for a run-off election soon. It is not yet clear whether the opposition party, which says it has already won an outright victory, will take part.)

PARAGUAY ENTERS NEW ERA AFTER 'BISHOP OF THE POOR' ELECTED PRESIDENT

The election of former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo as president of Paraguay is a further sign of a left-wing shift in Latin America, according to observers of the region's political scene.

     A report from Ecumenical News International... | more... |

CHURCH LEADERS BACK JUST PEACE FOR ALL AS ISRAEL'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY APPROACHES

As the 60th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel approaches, Western church leaders are putting their names to a historic joint declaration, originated in Britain, calling for a just peace in Palestine/Israel. Desmond Tutu is among the growing number of signatories.

     A report from Ekklesia... | more... |

KENYAN CHURCH LEADERS ASK FORGIVENESS FOR MASSACRE

A group of pastors and evangelical Christians has said that church leaders of warring tribes have repented of post-election violence that left at least 1,000 people dead, although clashes continue in some areas despite a UN-backed peace deal. The Christian group 'Msafara' - Swahili for 'safari' - spoke after crossing Kenya last month in a caravan of vehicles, dubbed 'Wheels of Hope', to visit traumatised survivors and churches which were burned down in the clashes.

   Dr JOHN M. LINDNER of BosNewsLife, reports... | more... |

RUSSIAN CHURCH LEADER TELLS UN HUMAN RIGHTS NEED NORMS

An individual must have a right to be safeguarded against the propagation of violence, use of drugs and alcohol, gambling and sexual laxity, a senior Russian Orthodox Christian leader has said at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

     PETER KENNY, of Ecumenical News International, reports... | more... |

WORLDVIEW SOUNDBITE: TIBET AND KOSOVO

20th March, 2008

   The world's eyes have turned to Tibet in recent days following a Chinese Government crackdown in the wake of anti-Government riots. DAVID ADAMS speaks to international aid consultant CHRIS PIPER about the situation there - and the parallels that can be drawn with Kosovo following its recent declaration of independence... | more... | (12 mins/2.6 MB)

ARCHBISHOP FOUND DEAD IN IRAQ

A Chaldean Catholic archbishop kidnapped in Iraq last month was found dead Thursday, 13th March, church officials confirmed, and Pope Benedict XVI was quick to condemn the "inhuman act of violence." It came as in Baghdad a car bomb killed at least 18 people.

     STEFAN J. BOS and ERIC LEIJENAAR report... | more... |

ORISSA WIDOWS ATTEND CONFERENCE ON PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS IN INDIA

India's third national conference of persecuted Christians in India ended on Saturday 1st March, after emotionally charged testimonies of "survivors of victims of terror and persecution," organisers said.

     A report from BosNewsLife... | more... |

TENSIONS SURROUND QATAR'S FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

A bitter debate is raging in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar over the construction of the first Christian church in this Muslim nation, which is scheduled to open next month.

      Conservative Muslims are furious, but the emir of Qatar, home of international broadcaster Al-Jazeera, has refused to prevent the church inauguration, in time for Easter.

     "If all goes well, we will celebrate Easter in our new church", confirmed the Doha-based Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary in a statement to Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) network.

     A report from BosNewsLife... | more... |

HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES WARN SECURITY IN AFGHANISTAN IS "UNDER THREAT"

The year has not begun well for Afghanistan, with suicide bombings, fears of a deteriorating security situation and reports of an increased presence by Taliban forces throughout the country.

"The threats are not always related to Taliban groups; often insecurity is related to local political conflicts. It is striking the number of police that are killed in attacks by criminals and insurgency groups," Paul Hicks, Afghanistan country representative for the US-based Catholic Relief Services, told Ecumenical News International.

     CHRIS HERLINGER reports for ENI... | more... |

7th February, 2008

   An attack by rebel forces on the Chadian capital of N'Djamena in early February has led hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. DAVID ADAMS speaks to Peter Weston, country program coordinator for Chad at World Vision Australia, about the situation and its implications... | more... | (13 mins/3.1MB)

FOR THE WORLDVIEW ARCHIVES click here...

Your Say

Discuss this article. Name: Message: Enter your name and message to make a comment. You may need to refresh the page to see your message appear. Due to recent spam problems, messages that contain links are moderated before they will appear.