chapter 4 - DRK

Strictly under embargo until Wednesday 22 September at 00:01 GMT (02:01 Geneva time)increasingly calling on national armies and other military forces. In Mexico, Colombiaand Jamaica, the sight of troops being deployed to conduct searches, secure neighbourhoodsand hunt down suspected criminals is leading to a blurring of the distinctionbetween civil and military responsibility. This may be necessary when criminal networks’firepower becomes a threat to the state’s monopoly on force, but the use of thearmy for public security should be an exception and should never be allowed to dilutethe principle of civilian control of the military.Box 4.1 Violence and young people in urban settingsFor young people, the risk of experiencing violence– as victims, perpetrators and / or observers– is highest in urban environments wheremore than 1 billion people under the age of18 years live, many of them in slums.Young people are impacted by, and inflicton themselves and others, violence acrossa variety of urban settings. Violence – suchas being beaten, exploited, bullied, sexuallyabused, exposed to rage and angry blows betweenothers, or having self-esteem constantlycrushed – occurs in communities, homes,schools, institutions, workplaces and online.Some of these settings are considered‘private’ such as homes, institutions and workplaces;in these settings violence can stay hidden,invisible and secret behind closed doors.It is not spoken of and is denied, ignored oreven accepted as an inevitable reality. As oneyouth put it: “I have been sexually abused fourtimes. I really want help but I’m too scared. Myfriend had the same thing happen but won’ttell anyone. No one understands. I’m scared.”In contrast, in public settings like citystreets, slums and school yards, violence canoften be flagrant, unconcealed and visible tothe community. “It is easy to get beaten if youare a street boy. People can rape you. Mencan beat a boy and rape him. There is nothingyou can do but run away if you are lucky,” saida child surviving on the streets of a mega-city.Too often the private and public forms ofviolence against young people are treated asthough they are separate and unconnected. Inreality, violence against young people in privateand public settings is deeply intertwined;violence in homes and private settings spills outto all aspects of a young person’s life. A commonexample of this spill-over can be seen inthe role of young people in urban gangs andcrime networks. Although not often recognizedas such, these are a visible, public culminationof violence that begins in the private sphere.Through child abuse in the home, bullyingat school or exposure to family membersphysically and psychologically tearing eachother down, young people learn that violencecan be tolerated and used effectively to controlthose who have less power, and it caneven help gain benefits. “Witnessing violenceteaches you violence and makes you hate,” explainedone young person. In addition, theseexperiences can push young people awayfrom their homes and leave them dependent onand vulnerable to others. A former gang memberrecounted that: “A lot of the young womenare escaping from horrible home situations,especially with their fathers… So if the girlsgo out with these guys from the paramilitaryit gives them a sense of rebellion, of power.These guys protect them – a guy with a gun. Itis very common.”78