YOUTH AGGRESSION & VIOLENCE

YOUTH AGGRESSION&VIOLENCE

BY HAZLINDA ZAINOL NAHDIYA ZAINAL ABIDIN SITI MUSLIHA NOR AL-DIN WAN HUMAIRAH WAN HUSSIN

DEFINITION YOUTH • A group of person that in the time of life between childhood and adulthood (maturity) • Commonly 10 - 25 years old:- • juveniles = 10 -17 years old • middle teenagers = 18 - 20 years old • late teenagers/young adults = 21 - 25 years old • Islam:- • reaching puberty (akhil baligh) is considered as beginning of the youth • Boy =15 years old or has the ‘wet dream’ • Girl = around 9 until 15 years old when she has her first period

AGGRESSION • An angry feeling that makes you want to attack or defeat someone else (Macmillan) • A disposition to behave aggressively or refers as a feeling of hostility that arouses thoughts of attack

VIOLENCE • Violent behaviour- involving the use of physical force, with the deliberate intention of causing damage to property or injury or death to people (Macmillan) • Violence is often associated with aggression • Two kinds of violence: • random violence = small-scale acts of random or targeted violence (vandalism, fighting) • coordinated violence = actions carried out by sanctioned or unsanctioned violent groups (war,terrorism)

YOUTH AGGRESSION & VIOLENCE • Aggression and violence actions that are done by the youth • The perpetration by teenagers of interpersonal physical assault that carries a significant risk of injury or death as well as the damage of property • Behavioral patterns marked by aggressiveness, antisocial behavior, verbal abuse, and externalizing the negative feelings

STATISTIC Juvenile Offences (1997-2001)Source: NST May 2004

TYPES • AGGRESSION & VIOLENCE TO SELF • AGGRESSION & VIOLENCE TO OTHERS

AGGRESSION & VIOLENCE TO SELF • Drug abuse, commit suicide, alcohol addict, free-sex activities, etc. Example of cases: • Drug abuse and free-sex activities: • 1980 A 15 years old girl involved in drugs (cannabis) and ectasy (upjohn pills and roche) involved in the most popular hippies group – ‘Geng Budak Padang’ – always hanged around and had night stand around Selangor Club Field. They mixed the abuse of various drugs with the free-sex activities.

New cases of drug addicts by age Source: Anti Drug Taskforce, Council of Internal Security

Commit suicide: • various methods: • Taking an overdose of sleeping pills • Jump from building or high place • Hang themselves • Cut themselves • Etc.

M. Valsala Menon ,18,tried to commit suicide by jumping from level 3 of one of her school’s building (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Perlis) because she frustrated with her SPM’s results. –March 13, 2006

AGGRESSION & VIOLENCE TO OTHERS • parents, siblings, friends, neighbours, members of society, strangers, animals, properties (homicide, robbery, assault rape, vandalism, etc.)

Example of cases: • Aggravated Assault/ Gangsterism: • Mohd Afiq Qusyairi Baharuddin, 13, from SM Agama Al-Maidah Addiniyyah in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, was warded for spinal injuries after he was beaten up by his schoolmates. He almost risked becoming paralysed.

Criminal Homicide: • Asrin Mohsin,18, who was bashed up by a group of youths in front of Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Persiaran Gurney between 3am and 3.30am on June 25, lapsed into a coma on Saturday, died at the Penang Hospital early Wednesday at 4am. Therein, 6 teenagers were charged upon murdered him. Bernama, June 29, 2005

Robbery: • Dayang Nurafri Awang Sahari, 17, totally shocked as one of her necklace’s snatch thieves was her own brother (early 20s)- June 14, 2005

Forcible Rape: • Nurul Hanis Kamil, 16, was raped, sodomised and murdered by her 17-year-old schoolmate with her name scribbled with blood over her school uniform while returning home from school in Malacca. Poor Nurul Hanis was strangled with the strap of her schoolbag – July 3,2001

Threat: • Zainuddin Salleh’s Proton Wira has been burned down after just give his students an advice to focus more on their studies early this morning – August 8, 2005

Vandalism: • Several groups of punk teenagers and ‘skinhead’ that always made chaos in the public and involved in the vandalism and fight, has been ambushed by the police and 80 of them, in early 20s, were investigated for the charge of bashing a 14 years teenager and robbed his RM20 near Suria KLCC. 11 of them were positively tested of drug abuse and another two were arrested as believed as the major suspects in robbery cases

WARNING SIGNS: • EARLY WARNING SIGNS • IMMINENT WARNING SIGNS

EARLY WARNING SIGNS • It is inappropriate and potentially harmful to use as a checklist. • It is used only as an aid in identifying and referring youth who may need help.

THE EARLY WARNING SIGNS: 1) Excessive feelings of rejection. • Some aggressive youth who rejected by non-aggressive peers seek out aggressive friends who in turn reinforce their violent tendencies. 2) Excessive feelings of isolation and being alone. • Research has shown that in some cases feeling of isolation and not having friends are associated with those who behave aggressively and violently.

3) Social withdrawal. • The withdrawal often stem from feeling of depression, rejection, persecution, unworthiness and lack of confidence. 4) Expression of violence in writing and drawings. • An over representation of violence in writings and drawings that is directed at specific individuals consistently over time may signal emotional problems and potential for violence.

5) Uncontrolled anger. • Anger that is expressed frequently and intensely in response to minor irritants may signal potential violent behavior towards self or other. 6) Intolerance for differences and prejudicial attitudes. • An intense prejudice towards others based on racial, ethics, religious, language, gender, sexual orientation, ability and physical appearance etc.

7) Inappropriate accesses to firearms. • Children and youth that inappropriately possess or have access to firearms can have an increased risk for violence. Research shows that such youngster also have a higher probability of becoming victims. 8) Serious threats of violence. • One of the most reliable indicators that a youth is likely to commit a dangerous act is a detailed threat to use violence.

IMMINENT WARNING SIGNS • Usually presented as a sequence of overt, serious, hostile behaviors or threats directed at peers or other individuals.

THE IMMINENT WARNING SINGS: 1) Serious physical fighting with peers or family members. 2) Severe destruction of property. 3) Severe rage for seemingly minor reasons.

4) Detailed threats of lethal violence. 5) Self-injurious behaviors or threats of suicide. 6) Has a detailed plan (time, place, method) to harm or kill others.

FACTORS

1) PARENTS/FAMILY • Poor parenting skills. Fail to satisfy youth who are fragile, sensitive and confused. Poor understanding their own responsibility towards children. • Harsh and ineffective parental discipline. Children are not taught to be order and discipline/ free to do what they are willing to do. • Parental criminality. Involvement in criminal: firearms, suicide, abuse, incest-rape.

Lack of parental involvement. Poor family functioning, fail to monitor the children, lack of time spent together (quality time with fruitful purposes). • Family conflict. Family breakup, quarrelling, neglecting, poverty, communication breakdown. • Family environment. Fail to practice Islam as a way of life.

2) SCHOOL • Low school involvement. -Teachers fail to discuss and get to know students -Poor administrative support. • Lack of proper education. Concentrate on theories in teaching & learning process . There is no implementation of Islamic practical.Proper education requires incorporation of moral values and teachings of religion in the body of knowledge. • Disciplinary practices are inequitable.

3) PAST HISTORY • Being victim of violence from member of family or outsiders. Raped, bullied, neglected, abused. • Witness the violence. Vandalism, stealing.

4) EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE • Feeling loneliness and loveless ness developing in children. • Lack of moral integrity. • Lots of temptations around and no God in their heart. It is nothing but God in the heart of man who saves man from all kinds of evils attractions. If God is absent in the heart of man, man can be swayed in all types of false and evil temptations.

Incarceration. • Death or serious illness of whom they love. • Inability to build up satisfactory interpersonal relationship with peer and teacher. • There are children who suffer from severe emotional disturbance such as : Psychotic children live in fantasy world. lack normal relationship with others Autistic children extremely withdrawn. severe difficulties with language that they may be entirely mute.

5) PEERS • Social rejection by peers. Children with weak social ties are those who attend few social activities and have low popularity with conventional peers. • Association with delinquent peers. Due to the rejection, they tend tomix up with aggressive friends. • Affiliation with gangs.

Eager to try something new. • Commit violence as a way to get attentions. The low performance in academic fields couldn't help them getting attentions from parents, teachers and friends.

6) MASS MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY • Misuse of technology. Accessibility to pornography website, playing video games which include violence elements. • Exposure to media and film violence. E.g.: -Intensive reporting of the suicide of a celebrity or the fictional representation of a suicide in a popular movie or TV show. -The broadcast of violent offenses and substance usesuch as grand theft and alcohol.

7) ENVIRONMENT • Negative culture outside the house. Exposure to drugs and alcohol, firearms . • Neglecting our tradition, values and morals in exchange for modernity. The problem does not lie in forsaking of our moral values in exchange of modernity but it lies in mixing modernization with westernization. • Violent neighborhoods. Crime, physically violent environment.

Low level of community participation. Socially disorganized neighborhood. They tend to anti-socialize with each others.

EFFECTS VICTIMS

Affect both the social and academic lives (student) • grades may suffer • attention is drawn away from learning • fear may lead to truancy or dropping out • become withdrawn and depressed • if the problem persist, they may feel compelled to take drastic measures, such as fighting back, carrying a weapon. “ The report found that up to one in 14 children in the UK could have poor exam results as a result of the effects of domestic violence in their homes ” Violence against Children and Body Shop International http://www.bbc.co.uk

Be aggressive and eventually find themselves in trouble with the law, or have conflict with the others. • Instability in career • lost concentrate and productivity • lost wages • foregone career opportunities “ Women living in household with high incomes experienced less violence at the head of their intimate partners than did women whose households were less financially secure “ When Violence Hits Home: How Economics and Neighborhood

Leads to a decline in social standards of behavior and relationship with others • Suicidal behavior and violence perpetration “ It also said youth who grew up with violence were more likely to be abused themselves “ “ Children witnessing violence could also suffer the same effects as direct victims” Violence against Children and Body Shop International http://www.bbc.co.uk

Affect the personality development • Traumatic stress disorder • Temporary disfunction • psychomotor retardation - slowed thinking, speech, body movements • agitation - inability to sit still, hand-wringing, pulling at clothing, skin, or other objects • Lack of confidence • Low self-esteem

SOCIETY

Reinforce disruptive behaviors • Positive: through more attention • Negative: Removing them from the society • Neighborhood effects • lead to biased estimates on youth’s outcomes. (eg: vandalism, shoplifting, drug use)

Insecure Community • Parents : Worrying about their children all the time (schooling time) • Society : Aware about their properties • Teachers : Worrying about students and their safety as well Teachers’ perception about serious problems in their schools : U.S. Department of Education and Justice Digest of Education Statistics, 2000

Students : Fear going to school Percentage of students aged 12 through 18 who reported criminal victimization at school U.S. Department of Education and Justice Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2001

Percentage of students aged 12 through 18 who report fearing attack at or on the way to school U.S. Department of Education and Justice Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2001

YOUTH AGGRESSION & VIOLENCE