By Katrina Curtis - Safeguarding Consultant

Knife Crime - The Ripple Effect

There are estimated to be approximately 27,000 children between 10 – 17 years involved in gangs as stated by the Home Secretary in a recent interview.  Earlier this month we saw Former Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe feature on ‘Britain’s Knife Crisis: Young Armed & Dangerous’ (Channel 4, 2019) working with Dispatches, who shared very alarming statistics in that there has been a 93% rise in 16-year olds and under being treated for stab wounds in the last 5 years, and 400 reported stabbings this year already.  In 2018, 76 people are alleged to have been stabbed in the capital, 306 in the UK with 23 of those being children.

It has been highlighted in reports including Breaking the cycle of youth violence | Local Government Association that ‘county lines’ is an underlying cause in the surge in knife crime. County lines is the reference of drug selling gangs from urban areas such as London, Birmingham and Manchester, exploiting children and young people to sell drugs and commit crimes in rural areas.  Whilst this may be the case, we need to ask ourselves why children and young people find themselves exploited by gangs in the first place, and what is the underlying reason that children and young people find themselves turning to a life of crime, sexual violence, and exposure to criminality? 

As an organisation, we deliver a workshop called ‘CREW - Confidence in Resiliency & Emotional Wellbeing’ which focuses on online safety, peer pressure including gangs, and emotional wellbeing.  We work within primary at key stage 2 and secondary at key stage 3-5.  Additionally, working with SEND (special educational needs & disabilities) children and young people. 

From our direct delivery, we have learnt that children and young people are drawn to gangs for a variety of reasons, the first being families affected by poverty. By joining gangs, it means there are financial means to be gained despite being through the distribution of drugs. Secondly, chaotic homelives or children in care. Children and young people felt that being on the streets was favourable as these gangs became second families. Initially, the elders demonstrated perceived positive behaviours such as a listening ear, protection, buying items the victim wants. However, they then demonstrated negative behaviours such as exposure to alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, threats of violence and robbery within own gangs. Some of the youngest children we have worked with are ten years old and have been involved in a gang. Some are even key witnesses currently going through trials at court due to their evidence and involvement. One little girl had even experienced a fractured jaw as a result of her initiation to a gang and this injury was sustained through sexual exploitation.

In 2018, in partnership with BROOK, we were commissioned by NHS England to write and deliver a child sexual exploitation course, raising awareness of sexual exploitation of boys and young men. One of the main concerns highlighted by frontline practitioners was the lack of understanding for exploitation and consent.  Exploitation is whereby the victim partakes in some form of sexual activity in exchange for something the victim wants or needs, power or increased status for the perpetrator. 

Over 2,400 children were victims of sexual exploitation in gangs and groups from August 2010 to October 2011 (Berelowitzet al, 2012). Within a gang environment the exploitation could take place in a variety of situations, such as initiating the child or young person into the gang known as hazing, exchange of sex for protection or status and entrap rival gang members by exploiting girls and young women, as well as boys. Furthermore, to inflict sexual assault as a weapon in conflict and to exert power and control over members.  

Between 2016 to 2018, it is estimated that there has been a 38% increase in ‘rape & sexual assault with a knife’ in under eighteens (Channel 4, 2019). A characteristic of exploitation is the victim often does not understand that what has happened is exploitive and therefore their ability to consent has been removed. To give consent means you have freedom, capacity and choice to consent.  By the very nature of what we are discussing, children (anyone under the age of eighteen), cannot consent to their own exploitation. Often children are under duress in such situations and taken advantage of because the perpetrator identifies their want or need and uses this to their advantage. This could be a warm bed for the night, protection from a rival gang, food, alcohol, cigarettes, the list is not exhaustive. More work needs to be done in schools to help educate children on the understanding of what a healthy relationship is, as well as grooming and exploitation to be able to recognise when they should seek help and thus developing their own resiliency.

If professionals can carry out age appropriate conversations with children and young people, we might be able to understand further their motivations towards such situations and involvement in gangs. By identifying the pull factors into gangs, we can work on taking positive action to prevent their involvement. The knock-on effect to this will hopefully be a reduction in knife crime, murder, injury and exploitation. This does mean, however, more work needs to be implemented short-term around raising awareness and listening to young people for better longer-term outcomes. Most importantly, allowing children to be children as for some, they don’t get to live that life anymore.

Finally, training needs to be implemented to a wider workforce to understand the complex areas within safeguarding and the preventative measures that can be taken. 

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References:

Britain's Knife Crisis: Young Armed & Dangerous. 2019. Channel 4. 4th March, 21:00

Beckett, H. et al (2012) Research into gang-associated sexual exploitation and sexual violence: interim report (PDF). Luton: University of Bedfordshire.

Department for Education. (2018). Working Together to Safeguard Children. Available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2. Last accessed 11th March 2019.

ECP LTD. (2018). Boys and Young Men AWARENESS OF CSE. Available: http://ecplimited.com/courses-awareness-of-cse.html. Last accessed 11th March 2019.