HEADLINES are screaming of the criminal activities of youths – in or out of school; even rape, robberies, home invasions and murder, and the perpetrators are getting younger and younger every day, some are even pre-teen. While some operate individually in committing crimes, most are members of gangs that roam around looking for prey before meeting up and sharing the spoils.
Guyana’s political history is replete with young people who have been recruited by ruthless politicians with a multiplicity of promises, to create mayhem and murder, all for power-hunger and self-aggrandisement, regardless of dire consequences to the victims, the perpetrators, the families of both, and society at large.
Gang membership can serve many seemingly practical purposes in a young person’s life. Developmentally, early adolescence is all about fitting into a group and gaining independence from family, so the camaraderie that comes with being in a gang is alluring to many young people. Children who come from backgrounds where abuse or neglect is a norm, who live in dangerous neighbourhoods, who are neglected by their parents and feel abandoned and unloved, who aren’t involved with school and community activities, or who live in poverty, are especially at risk of being influenced by politicians who are intent at wresting power at any cost.
Joining a gang, which will often treat its new members like brothers, often seems like a better lifestyle than staying at home with a violent, neglectful or sexually abusive family, and provides a feeling of belonging. Peer pressure plays into it as well: if a child’s best friends are joining a gang, he may feel like the only way to continue that friendship is to join, too. Many forms of media glorify the gang lifestyle, promising money, status, belongings, a sense of identity, parties and sex.
A gang may be able to offer a child a place to stay, along with many luxury items they have never had. If a young person lives in poverty and his/her family lacks the means to provide even basic necessities, they may be tempted to join a gang to better themselves and family, or simply to obtain what they have never had, or have no hope of ever having.
Failure to succeed in school may discourage children from feeling like they will ever be good enough to work in a real job, so gang membership may seem like a desirable alternative.
“If you can’t beat them, join them,” sums up the feeling many young people have regarding gang membership. Plenty of children feel threatened by local gangs, and if law enforcement is inadequate, the children’s only choice for protection is to join a gang. Likewise, if a child is being abused, being in a gang may make him feel tough enough to protect himself from his abuser. A feeling of lack of safety in a high-crime neighborhood, availability of firearms and a culture in which gang membership is the norm also influence children.
Parents need to be aware of warning signs that their child/children may be involved with a gang. If he starts wearing only one color or one style of clothing, using hand signs, an unfamiliar nickname or new slang, suddenly having more money, using graffiti or carrying weapons, it may be time to get a counsellor or other development professional involved. It is very difficult for kids to break away from gangs. The easiest way is to fade out membership slowly, by having other activities that take precedence, like a new job or volunteer activities. However, parents may need to move their families to a different area altogether to cut ties, or get their religious and/or community leaders involved in counselling and channeling the direction of youths so that they are not negatively influenced by peers and politicians.