Female Gangs
Posted on 11. May, 2010 by admin in Education, Life and Style, Politics, Real Talk, UK
Written By Shaun Coltress
What happened to young girls wanting to be a Princess? Is it just a phase? Where did we go wrong?
Whilst at work, not too far in the past, I read about how an elderly lady of 72yrs had been set upon by a female gang. This unprovoked attack left the elderly citizen with two black eyes to accompany her broken nose.
This prompted me to address the emergence of the, now ever present, female gang.
Female gangs have been traced back as far as the 1800’s, but were few and far between. Women were always seen as the gangs ‘poor relation’, having always been inferior when compared to men. They would regularly be used to hold weapons, as alibi’s or simply as sex toys!
However, in the times that we are currently in, the tables have not been turned, but certainly evened up. More now than ever, the girls are proving that they are up to the challenge of doing the things previously left to or associated with men. They are now playing football, becoming Fire fighters, CEO’s, Lawyers, Pilots and Surgeons.
As the ‘traditional’ female role in society transforms from wife and mother, it is unfortunate enough to also bear the stigma of the negativity that female gangs emit.
I believe that these young girls, generally around the age of 16, are attracted to gangs for a number of reasons. On the face of it, these girls are lured in the excitement of being able to counteract boredom with the feeling of power over their peers or unsuspecting victims. I also think that by joining these gangs, the girls feel a sense of status, recognition and also believe that they are now protected by their non-biological family.
On a more serious note, I think that there are underlying issues that may contribute to this lifestyle. A fair amount of these gang members are likely to live in inner-city impoverished areas that require an aggressive approach in order to limit their appearance of weakness. The harsh reality is that some of these girls live in households where the family nucleus has been destroyed for one reason or another. I will take the cliché example of a lack of a father figure in a young girl’s life.
Imagine if your mum was always at work, trying to make ends meet and you were often by yourself? This could instil a sense of vulnerability as you are quite often alone in the unforgiving streets you may call home. How do you combat this? The answer for so many is to turn to thuggery and a life of crime.
Don’t get me wrong though, it is not at all a requirement that you come from a broken home, live in a gutter estate, be promiscuous or get excluded from school to become submerged in this sadistic culture.
As time has progressed, we have seen girl gangs with many similar characteristics of the males. They tend to get involved at the same sort of age and they are likely to have different roles/ranks within the gang. It is not uncommon for the girls to be committing crimes dressed like boys and quite often adopt a ‘tomboy’ approach during this time of their adolescence. It all aids there ultimate aim of committing the crime as, beyond the view of the ‘hoodie’, it is now more increasingly difficult to tell the sex of the assailant.
The girls are also evolving into more front line activity in this gang warfare. This was personified in late 2008 when a story broke of an 18yr old male being kidnapped by 5 girls and subjected to a 3 and a half hour ordeal that included being set upon with a broom and forced to perform sexual acts on himself. This chilling insight into the acts of violence being carried out by these girls led me to ponder how the world had come to this?
I am of the opinion that when you think of a women, all adjectives ‘soft and cuddly’ spring to mind, but there are a new breed of oestrogen induced females that are roaming the streets that you are most like to label ‘scum’!
The damning truth is, is that there is now little difference between the men and women when it comes to gangs; which is perhaps the most shocking indictment of all!
So, how do we combat this growing endemic amongst teenagers? It is comforting to know that most girls will grow out of this culture before the boys do due to a number of reasons. But this doesn’t hide the fact that there is a new breed of 12 – 13yr olds waiting to be groomed into these vacated gang placements.
Because of this, it is essential that we tackle these female gangs as a community and not leave it solely to the authorities because, after all, we are adults who can help mould the future for these teenagers that have chosen the incorrect path.
Our community leaders must wake up and realise the fact that this is a growing issue. The most effective way to deal with the gang problems involves the cooperation of several groups and sectors that should focus their drive on suppression, intervention and prevention. A coordinated strategy should see these community sectors work with ‘the law’ to develop specific goals and timescales.
Only when those in a position to act are singing from the same hymn sheet, can we truly tackle this issue.
Its time we joined together to take a stand against this vile past time as we do not want our children, siblings or younger cousins growing up to become embroiled in this lifestyle!
Pic Source http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/07/29/article-0-021BC39400000578-595_468x512.jpg
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