Public Perception that Adolescents and Young People are the Main Causes of Insecurity and Violence
Often, male adolescents from impoverished and peripheral neighborhoods are stigmatized and singled out as “dangers to society.” They are largely blamed for the lack of security in their communities. The reality differs from these perceptions and is much more complex:
Lack of Real Opportunities
Victims of Violence
Recruitment
13 years old is the average age at which children are recruited by criminal groups in a number of countries
Quitting these organizations can mean risking life and personal integrity.
These criminal organizations are hierarchical with very strict rules. Any case of breaking internal rules or orders from above is met with violence, even in the extreme form of executions.
Main Forms of Exploitation
In these organizations, children and adolescents are used and abused to serve the interests of the criminal organization.
Adults consider them as interchangeable, throwaway pieces—the last link in the chain—and usually give them activities to do that pose a higher risk for their personal safety or risk of being detained by the police.
Drugs
Human Trafficking
Labor Exploitation
Migrant Smuggling
Violent Activities
Transport of Guns
Surveillance
Robberies, Extortions, Kidnappings, and Murders
Gender Violence and Human Trafficking
Conditions of discrimination and structural violence in society against adolescent girls and women are alarmingly aggravated in contexts of insecurity and in those where criminal organizations operate.
Adolescent girls and women fall victim to acts of extreme violence, such as sexual violence; exploitation; cruel, humiliating, and degrading treatment; disappearances; and homicides.
Sexual Violence
Drug Trafficking
Criminalization of Victims
Youth Gangs, Violent Youth Groups and Maras
The phenomenon of juvenile gangs is widespread in the Americas, and society for the most part associates it with violence and crime. The ways in which adolescents and youths typically socialize are often perceived negatively and tend to be stigmatized.
The gang phenomenon is diverse and heterogeneous. At times, gangs may be violent and may contribute, to a greater or lesser extent, to creating conditions of insecurity and violence in their communities.
Usually, there is an important underlying component of group identity and belonging that is very strong.
Controlled by Adults
Influence over Other Teenagers
Prejudice and Police Abuse
Some factors that induce children and adolescents to join these groups:
Spaces for Socialization
Free Time
Self-Protection Mechanisms
Feelings of Exclusion and Frustration
Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Migrant Families
There has been a marked surge in the number of unaccompanied migrant children and migrant families with children. Many children and their families leave their country of origin fleeing widespread violence, threats, and fear of gangs and organized crime; these factors sometimes converge with other causes related to lack of opportunities in their country of origin or family reunification in the destination country.
Photo Credit: CIDH