When 21-year-old Sthembile Gasa was robbed of her beloved iPod and cellphone while walking down Melville’s popular Seventh Street in Johannesburg early in the morning, she was, in a way, more likely to be mugged than the other, older people on the street. Young South Africans are twice as likely as adults to be victims of crime and violence, a recent study by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention (CJCP) has found.
According to the National Youth Victimisation Study 2005, 4,3-million youngsters were assaulted, robbed or sexually assaulted — or fell victim to other crimes such as housebreaking, theft or car hijacking — in the year since September 2004.
The CJCP interviewed 4 409 young people between the ages of 12 and 22 years across the country and asked them about their experiences of crime and violence. A total of 41,5% said they had been a victim; one in seven had been the victim of assault, and one in 10 of robbery.
Young males are most at risk of becoming a victim of crime and violence, the study says. Of the male respondents, 46% reported victimisation, compared with 37% of the females.
”Victimisation of children and youth has also been shown to increase the risk of the young victims themselves being drawn into violent, deviant or criminal behaviour,” says Patrick Burton, research director at the CJCP.
Victimisation is further compounded by the levels of violence and crime that young people are exposed to at school, at home and in their communities. The study reveals that just more than half of children polled had been subjected to corporal punishment at school. More than one in five, or 21,5%, lived in homes where domestic violence between caregivers or parents was common. One in 10 youngsters reported having a family member who had committed a crime. More than two out of five reported having a family member who was, or had been, in jail.
Almost one in two young people, or 49,2%, knew someone in their community who engaged in criminal activities, says Burton. More than one in four, or 28,8%, knew people who actually made a living from crime.
”Not only do frequent experiences of crime at a young age increase the risk of later victimisation, but they may initiate a host of related effects,” says Burton.
These included the inability to form healthy interpersonal relationships, underperformance at school, depression, anxiety and social withdrawal. The government should do more to break the cycle of violence and crime in which young people are caught, Burton says. ”What’s really needed is an integrated and coherent strategy involving all government departments heading in the same direction and using the same tools. What’s happening at the moment is quite fragmented.”
As no similar surveys were conducted in the past, it is difficult to say whether the country is becoming more dangerous for its youth. ”What we can say is that there are very few safe places left for young people,” says Burton.