Britain, a very strong superpower, about whom it was said that the Sun never set on the British Empire. To this day, scores of countries still experience the dramatic impact this empire once made. The British colonies are now no more in existence but Britain or the United Kingdom is the major power player in world politics. Britain has its influence on all the aspects of wordly affairs, and like any other country, Britain too look upon her young shoulders to carry on the great legacy proudly in the future. But, the picture of British young factory isn’t very beautiful; however it is kept on fading day by day. If we talk about the young minds of Britain, then a contrasting picture appears in mind where there is an iconic epicentre of the world struggling boldly with the daily street life of grime and terror, and violence.
Almost daily, the newspaper headlines cry out world wide about Briain’s troubled youth showcasing stabbings, murders, car and bike theft, robberies, drug abuse, and underage drinking.
For over a decade, the number of persistent young offenders (this can be defined as a young person aged 10 to 17 years old who has been sentenced by any criminal court in the UK on three or more occassions)in England and Wales has jumped up by two thirds from 9,868 in 1997 to 16,512 in 2007. Rural areas have been worse hit with counties such as Sussex, Gloucestershire, Dorset, and Suffolk showing the biggest increase in youth offending.
Separate figures, released in a Parliamentary answer also showed that the number of convictions for persistent young offenders shot up by 92% from 16,010 in 1997 to 30,683 in 2007. In response to the youth crime in UK, the former Prime Minister Tony Blair made it his goal to change what was happening on the streets of the UK. Government has made 46 strategies since 1997 with provisions to tackle youth crime but the above data shows that they have failed.
The soaring rate in youth related crime is worrying as they are future policy makers and today policies are being made for them to show them the right path. Why teenagers are making not so good headlines in UK? Why the future of Britain in terms of her youth is in serious trouble? and Why all the government programs are crying for help?
Lets peep in to the picture in detail. A teenager with a tattoo on skin, knife in hand, a member of the Gang with lot of anger on face; a typical picture of youth on the streets of London. This dirty frame has many reasons behind it. The very first and foremost is Poverty.In London, wealth and poverty lives side by side. The glamour and glitz keeps on fading if you comes out of westminster to a dirty smelly street of London. Another prominent reasons could be breakdown in families, dysfunctional social skills, absence of respect, drunkenness, truancy and vandalism.
Increase in the number of Gangs is also a main root of increase in youth crime. 26 young people were killed in gun or knife crime in London in 2007. Peer pressure and wanting to look bad are the two main reasons but the investigations carried out by young reporters in London ( Headliners) showed a very surprising reality that teenagers join Gangs because they are searching for some kind of family unit. Family breakdown and social failure are possible reasons for the growth of antisocial factor.
In 2006, a paper published by the Institute for Public Policy Reasearch, a progressive study group, concluded that Britain’s young people were the worst behaved in Europe, spending less time with their parents, drinking and fighting, trying drugs and sex earlier than their counterparts across the continent.
The article continues by explaining that Britain has one of the worst rates of child poverty despite being one of the wealthiest and prosperous nations on earth. (The Real Truth). In 2005, the number of people who were mugged with a knife jumped by 73%. Reports indicate that seven times as many die from a “sharp instrument” as opposed to a firearm. (The Independent). Among Girls, crimes have increased 25% in only three years. Studies show that Britain had the highest teen pregnancy rate in Western Europe. The BBC reports that this rate is “twice as high as in Germany, three times as high as in France, and six times as high as in Netherlands.” This statistics clearly reveals that British parents are really trying hard teaching children about correct sexual realtions.
BBC reports,”British teenagers outdrink their European counterparts, despite of the tough restrictions imposed by UK government.” According to the World Health Organization, alcohal abuse is responsible for one in eight deaths among youngmen in the UK.
While discussing all these we should not forget to talk about “football violence”. The football hooliganism is something for which England should be kept responsible. Sports violence is very common in England.
In 2007, UNICEF, published an extensive report on the health and well being of childeren, ranked the United Kingdom last among OECD(Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development) countries. Here are few highlights:
1. Child Poverty remains above 15%.
2. Czech Republic ranks ahead of the UK in child health and safety.
3. In Educational well being, the proportion of young people not looking beyond low skilled work (plumbing, repairing etc)is more than 30%. In United States, it is less than 15%.
4. Less than 70% of children in the UK are living with both parents.
The condition is really sick and Government measures showing almost negligible impact in solving the problem. Several charities are working with youth to help come out of their anger and stress and to engage their minds in a constructive manner. Some young population has come up with an idea of positive Gang Culture which will do all sorts of creative work instead of dealing with gun and knife. Drug Rehablition centres are also running across the country and NHS (National Health Services) is helping young and adults to quit smoking and drinking.
Well, how safe is the future of Britain in the hands of her young populace will be a story to discuss in the time coming. Till, we can crossed our fingers for a happy and ever prosperous Britain.
nitu
