A Sociological Assessment Of The Causes And Consequences Of Youth Violence In The Kumasi Metropolis
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Date
2015-11-02
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Abstract
This study was undertaken to assess the sociological causes and consequences of youth violence in the Kumasi Metropolis. Violence by young people is one of the most visible forms of violence in society. Around the world, newspapers and the broadcast media report daily on violence by gangs, in schools or by young people on the streets. Therefore, with the use of a mixed method approach, 71 youth in the Kumasi Metropolis were randomly selected whereas 10 participants were chosen to take part in a focus group discussion. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and findings show that the principal categories of violence were manifested in noise making, rape, murder, stealing and drug addiction, obscene gestures, robbery, stealing, bullying, hitting, fighting, swearing, threatening, shoving/pushing, yelling, sexual abuse and embarrassing. The study suggests peer pressure as the key factor that induced youth violence. It was also noted that becoming physically ill, death, injury, disability, fear and panic when in the dark, low level of community development and shame and disgrace were some of the ramifications of violent behaviours in the community. Finally, to reduce the incidence of violence among youth in the Kumasi Metropolis, the study revealed that education on security tips, equipping the police with logistics targeted at youth gangs, schools and areas where young people congregate and socialize, and the activities of volunteers were security measures employed by their communities in controlling violent behaviours. However, these strategies were dependent on the Government, Chiefs and Non-Governmental Organizations in Ghana.
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A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (sociology),