How: initiation into a gang: some initiations rites are the same as for male gangs, such as shoplifting, robbery, or beatings. Other requirements may involve sexual acts. Quitting the gang: similar to the rules of a male gang, a ritual must be endured to leave. Why: while males join gangs for the excitement and acceptance of the gang, girls are induced by gang membership as a way to:. Cure loneliness and secure warmth and affection. Satisfy the need to belong to a group, fulfilled in part by the dress codes and traditions imposed by gang membership as a sign of solidarity.
To express anger and frustration encountered daily in a life fuelled with poverty and joblessness and devoid of hope. Excitement and thrill. Looking for a surrogate family. Young people join gangs to receive the attention, affirmation, and protection they may feel they are lacking at home. Breakdown of traditional family units. Many youngsters do not have a positive adult role model. Many see domestic violence and alcohol and other drug use in the home. Lack of parental involvement and the absence of rules and family rituals allow older gang members to be viewed as authority figures by young teens and children.
Identity or recognition problems. Because of low self-worth and self-esteem, some youth join gangs seeking the status they lack due to unemployment or academic failure at school. If young people do not see themselves as intelligent, leaders, or star athletes, they join other groups where they feel they can excel. Gang family history. After running away from an abusive home environment and into the care of the Catholic Children's Aid Society in Scarborough, she has struggled to find her way.
In and out of high school after being suspended a few times for fighting with other girls, she admits she even did a few brief stints in jail after another girl pressed charges against her for "issuing death threats. But in a world where other girls respect you by how tough you are and constantly test you at school, Drayton says she was just doing what any other girl in her position would have done.
These guys, with the easy cash they make from dealing drugs and their flippant I-don't-care attitude, can at times seem sexy and alluring. It's the whole Bonnie and Clyde phenomenon turned into modern-day dating. And the streets have a name for the girls who can handle such an extreme form of love. They would never use it with you, but they would use it with other people, so you feel like you're special and you feel attracted to it," says Drayton.
They can be really sweet and do anything for you. They can actually seem like a normal guy, except for a few flaws," she says. In the United States there has been a growing trend of young girls who see themselves as "ride or die chicks," says Gwendolyn Pough, associate professor of women's studies at Syracuse University. She will put the gun in her purse, she will hide the cash, she will hide the gloves, and she will drive the getaway car.
Whatever she needs to do for him, she will do," says Pough, adding, "I think a lot of girls do buy into it. For years, she has seen girls in her neighbourhood play into being a "ride or die" type of chick, says Amanda Cain, the editor of Yo' Mamma , a Toronto magazine for pregnant teens. In a sense, because she used to let her boyfriends use her, she was one, too. That's where you will find them," she says, referring to girls who wait to bail their boyfriends out of jail.
Girls were sexually abused by gang members who expected rewards for their protection and attacked by rivals as part of ongoing feuds. Some interviewees admitted setting up other girls to be raped or assaulted, sometimes in revenge for a petty row or to escape becoming a victim themselves. Researchers even uncovered cases where teenage girls dressed and acted like boys to avoid being raped.
Dr Theo Gavrielides, chief executive of Race On The Agenda, said: "This research does not seek to justify serious youth violence, or excuse women for any role they may play in it. Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said: "We have put a range of measures in place to help prevent young people getting involved in gangs and serious violence - support in schools, targeted youth work in areas most at risk of serious youth violence and an ongoing drive to give young people positive activities, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said he has supported work to give young women skills, counselling and support to help them turn their lives around. He said: "Gangs who exploit vulnerable young women often lure them into a vicious cycle of crime. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later?
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