Resources

A violent father pushed Isha Nembhard  to find solace in a life of drugs and crime. She tells Jasmine Gardener how she became trapped – and what helped her escape

Being raped by a gang is normal- ‘Its about craving to be accepted’.

Former gang member reveals how women suffer shocking sexual abuse in return for ‘status’

Youth Gangs, Sexual Violence and Sexual Exploitation

A Scoping Exercise for the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England by Professor J. J. Pearce & Professor J. M. Pitts of The University of Bedfordshire Institute for Applied Social Research

Seeing Differently : Working with girls affected by gangs – Jessica Southgate

This research was an investigation into how voluntary and community sector organisations (VCSOs)8 perceive girls’ gang‐association9 or involvement,10 how they have responded to meet girls’ needs through their work,11 and the challenges they face in delivering their work. It reflects concerns feminist criminologists have uncovered over many years about the impact gender inequality and related social factors has on the lives of women who offend, and addresses recent areas of study of girls’ gang affiliation and violence.

Ending Gang and Youth Violence Report : One year on

Report on Gang and Youth violence presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for the Home Department November 2012

The Kenny Report

How do politics and economics affect gangs and serious youth violence across the UK?

Call to End Violence against Women and Girls

The coalition governments report into violence against women and girls.

Together we can end violence against women and girls : A strategy

This document outlines the coalition government’s strategy to deal with the issue of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)

Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls : Actionplan

This action plan provides an overview of the wide range of actions the Government will be taking forward with key partners to deliver its strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Sexualisation of Young People review – Dr Linda Papadopoulos

This review looks at how sexualised images and messages may be affecting the development of children and young people and influencing cultural norms, and examines the evidence for a link between sexualisation and violence. The decision by the government to commission this review reflects the importance of the issue and the popular perception that young people (and in particular young women and girls) are increasingly being pressured into appearing sexually available. The report looks at examples and the prevalence of sexualisation in culture and proposes mechanisms by which sexualised messages are being internalised and the consequences of these on young people.

Shootings, Gangs and Violent Incidents in Manchester: Developing a crime reduction strategy

This report describes analysis and strategy development for a project aiming to reduce shootings in South Manchester. It attempts to apply problem-oriented policing principles to shootings and other serious violence associated with gangs, principally in South Manchester. Its broad approach follows that of an apparently very effective project in Boston, Massachusetts, which was associated with a rapid and sustained reduction in shootings.

Young people and sexual exploitation: An exploration of young people’s workers’ experiences of providing support in Merseyside

This research aimed to explore young people’s workers’ experience of supporting young people who have been sexually exploited in these broader and more subtle ways.
Report on a National Policy Round Table : Gang, Gun and Knife Crime

Seeking solutions, a report jointly organised by APYCO, the National Youth Agency and Speaking Out (NCVCCO/NCVYS)

Sandwell Safeguarding Children’s Board : Young People Involved In Urban Street Gangs

A draft document from the Sandwell Safeguarding Children’s Board which gives definitions, risks and more regarding Young people involved in gangs

Gangs : Don’t you know it’s different for girls?

Young Women, Their Violence and Sexual Victimisation by Nicola Weller, nia, writing in Respect’s newsletter January 2010

Teenagers at risk

The safeguarding needs of young people in gangs and violent peer groups by Kate Fitch

Books & Plays

Yard Gal – Rebecca Prichard

Marie and Boo are both teenage tough girls — yard gals, in the slang of the Hackney ghetto they come from — but that only makes their dreams that much harder for them to envision, much less attain. In this two-woman play, which is by turns scalding and hilarious, deeply moving and brutally angry, they talk about their love of music and drugs and the men who bring them as well as about the exhilaration — and terror — of fighting rival gangs.