Understanding Youth Violence in Kumasi: Does Community Socialization Matter? A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Violence by young people is one of the most visible forms of social disorder in urban settlements. This study assesses the causes and consequences of youth violence in the Kumasi metropolis. The study design was a nonexperimental cross-sectional survey. A mixed method approach facilitated the random sampling of 71 young people in the Kumasi metropolis through a stratified procedure between December 2014 and November 2015. Ten (10) participants were purposively selected and enrolled in a focus group discussion. Descriptive statistics formed the basis for the analysis. This was supported with a matched discourse analysis of the emerging themes. More than half of the youth (39, 54.9%) demonstrated history of ever engaging in violence in the past one year of whom 24 (61.5%) were without formal education. The frequency of the violence perpetuation ranged from daily engagement (3, 4%) to weekly engagement in violence (12, 17%). Principally, the categories of youth violence were manifested in noise making, rape, murder, stealing, drug addiction, obscene gestures, robbery, sexual abuse, and embarrassment. Peer pressure and street survival coping approaches emerged as the pivotal factors that induced youth violence. Addressing youth violence requires an integrative framework that incorporates youth perspectives, government, chiefs, and nongovernmental organizations in Ghana, and religious bodies.

Profile of Victims of Neighbourhood Crimes in Ghanaian Cities

“…On the predictive potentials of respondents' employment status on the likelihood of victimisation within the neighbourhoods of the Ghanaian urban space, the odds of a person or a family member being a victim of crime is 0.717 times less likely for someone who is employed than for the unemployed. This finding confirms similar studies in Ghana (Warner, 2011;Barnie, et al, 2017) that the most likely victims of crime are the unemployed youth who form a significant proportion of Ghana's population. Similarly, Baah-Boateng (2015) indicates that 7 in every 10 youth are unemployed in Ghana.…”

Perceptions and Experiences of Physical Violence Among Public Secondary School Students in Lagos State

“…Other studies reported a lower prevalence of physical violence of 33.3% in Oyo State, [17] 28.0% in Ondo State, [18] but higher proportions (78.0%) [15] were reported in Rivers State, all within Nigeria and 54.9% in Ghana. [31] The most common pattern of bullying in this study was hitting, shoving or kicking in 29.5% of cases, followed by bullying via sexual gestures and jokes. In contrast, a study in Rivers State reported verbal aggression in 48.0% of respondents and physical attack in 20.8%.…”

Adolescent Health Series – Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among adolescents in sub‐Saharan Africa: A narrative review

“…The use of ATODs usually begins during adolescence, often for recreational purposes [6], but other motivations for use exist including coping motives in order to deal with social or mental health problems [18] or daily living for those in difficult circumstances on the streets or in conflict areas [19,20]. Multiple factors influence adolescent ATOD initiation, and prevention efforts have predominantly been rooted in a risk reduction/protection enhancement model [21].…”