From teenagers to young adults, one of the growing concerns of this age group is gang violence. The youngsters don’t even realise how and when they are getting merged with these dangerous people. Since the last 16 years, this issue has been multiplying in epidemic proportions. Though the exact causes of gang violence are still unfixed, it is important to take the matter seriously.
The gangs form regardless of any race, color or religion; Americans, Asians, Africans, Hispanics, South-East Asians and basically all kind of people form a group to terrorise people and even cause bloodshed. The nuisance has taken a rising toll in the regions of Texas, Tennessee, California, Illinois, British Columbia, Virginia Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, Washington and in several other regions in and around America.
Gang-driven homicides are increasing at an alarming rate. Most hospitals of the above mentioned regions report that each day scores of emergency cases come for treatment as victims of gang-related brutality. To stop these high crimes, a joint action should be taken by the parents, guardians, doctors and teachers of the provoked young minds. [i]
The primary question that arise here is- why does the youngsters get trapped into such anti-social groups? There can be many causes of gang violence; children with disturbed and psychologically weak minds are most likely to get involved in gang violence. If the child has been facing a disturbed relationship with the family members or have been witnessing aggressive and abnormal behaviour between his parents, he will gradually grow up with an unhealthy mentality.
Apartheid and religious conflicts are quite common when we study gang violence cases. This may happen from some kind of painful experience that the child underwent but couldn’t express to anyone. Severe sexual molestation or assault can also play a reactive role inside a child’s mind. Most of the young victims of sexual exploitation are unable to open up to their near ones which ultimately creates a massive psychological alteration.
Some children are always underestimated and insulted in some way or the other. With the advent of the adolescence period, they become aggressive and develop a repulsive attitude towards their family members and sometimes for everyone. Wrong company, drugs and drinks, crime witness, frustration, anxiety are some more causes of gang violence. When young victims of such emotional turmoil come together, they become desperate to cause harm to others. Socially backward people also have the tendency to form groups and harass the higher society people.