i dun see the need to reply to the last few posts as we have
different views. here's today article from The Straits Times.
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MORE teens are being caught fighting and many of the clashes are
believed to be gang-related.
Scenes from a film last year about juvenile delinquents,
commissioned to address the problem of rising juvenile crime.
But what worries social workers most is the changing profile of the
youths who claim to be gang members.
A growing number are from intact families, unlike before when most
were from single-parent or dysfunctional homes.
Also, more among them are bright students, some even hailing from
top schools. However, school dropouts or the academically weak
still dominate.
Police told The Straits Times that in the first half of this year
alone, 255 youths aged seven to 19 were arrested for rioting, which
includes being involved in fights and other disturbances in groups
of five or more.
It is a steep rise compared to four years ago.
In fact, just 257 youths were arrested in the whole of 2000. Since
then, the number has almost doubled, hitting 475 last year.
The police said there are 'very few' teen gangs here.
However, many of these youths appear to be gang members because
social workers said the Streetwise Programme has more referrals,
from the police and courts, involving youths who have 'drifted'
into gangs.
It is uncertain whether many of them are actually secret-society
members because, Streetwise counsellors said, some may claim to
have secret-society connections just to scare off their
rivals.
Still, these teens cause grief to themselves and others, through
smoking, drinking, fighting and drugs, said the social
workers.
A study in June suggests parental neglect may be a root cause of
why youths fall prey to criminal activity.
Conducted by Teen Challenge, a non-profit organisation, the study
found about eight in 10 youths in its Streetwise Programme come
from intact families, with many from 'well-to-do' homes.
Teen Challenge senior youth counsellor Joyce Chan said many of the
parents spend very little time with their children or are concerned
only about their grades.
'Teens expect more from their parents than just pocket money. They
want to be understood and to feel loved,' she said.
So when family support is weak and they get poor grades, many
youths join gangs to gain a sense of belonging, said social
workers.
Others do it for a sense of 'achievement' when they win fights or
extort money. 'They want to be somebody. They want others to look
up to them,' said Lakeside Family Centre counsellor Steve
Boey.
Most are recruited by word of mouth, usually through friends, to
become one of the numerous ghin nah in the gang.
In gangspeak, ghin nah run errands for their bosses and are often
called on to fight for their gang.
While the police did not give a gender breakdown of the youths
caught, the National Youth Council said the Streetwise Programme
still sees 'predominantly' boys arrested for gang-related
crimes.
Some 650 youths have passed through the programme since a
government panel on youth crime launched it in 1997 to address the
issue of street-corner gangs.
In a bid to tackle the problem, the Singapore Children's Society is
setting up a centre in Jurong in November where youths can hang
out.
Said Ms Carol Balhetchet, its youth development director: 'We want
to give them skills to help them find jobs so they don't get
involved with gangs, which tend to offer them a fast buck from
selling pirated VCDs.'
Source:
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,275190,00.html?
______________________________________________________________
THEEBAN (not his real name) joined a secret society 'for fun' when
he was in Primary 6.
That was five years ago.
Describing himself then as quiet and shy in school, he wanted 'to
become a big shot, so people will notice me'.
His days and nights were often spent hanging out with the gang's
other members - about 12 or 13 of them, all in their teens -
drinking at coffee shops and often, fighting with weapons such as
parangs and beer bottles.
He declines to disclose the name of his gang, but all his 'bosses'
are in jail, he said.
'After my first fight, I felt like a big shot. When people saw me,
they were so scared. The feeling was very shiok,' said Theeban,
whose father is a mechanic, and his mother, a housewife.
By 16, he said he had become such a feared fighter, he left the
gang to start his own.
The eldest of three children, he recruited 16 friends from school
and collected 'shirt' money of $20 from each of them every
month.
Explaining the rationale behind the 'shirt' money, he said: 'When
you join a gang, we will take care of you.
'If you have a problem, we must go and help you fight. But we also
need money to rush down in a taxi.'
To earn extra money, his gang smuggled cigarettes to sell to
students.
Last year, after he was arrested by the police and put on the
Streetwise Programme, he said he had given up his old ways.
Now 17 and studying in the Institute of Technical Education, he
said: 'I realised being a gangster is useless. It won't get you
anywhere.'
Source:
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,275080,00.html?
