TITLE:
Challenges in Mitigating Youth Violence in Bo City
AUTHORS:
Mohamed Yusuf
KEYWORDS:
Youth Violence, Structural Violence, Peacebuilding, Arms Proliferation, Substance Abuse, Cliques
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.7,
July
28,
2023
ABSTRACT: The stability of Sierra Leone after the war is seriously threatened by youth
violence. Youth-initiated violence has hindered growth and scared away investors
from a nation that needs private sector investment to eliminate unemployment and
over-reliance on government for empowerment and opportunities. This study has strengthened
the body of research supporting many risk factors for violence young adults commit.
The research’s conclusions showed that several structural issues threaten law enforcement
and societal stability, including complete mistrust of the judiciary and police,
the proliferation of weapons, and crumbling family institutions. This study offers
a different standpoint on youth violence and blames the failing social institutions
for abating youth-perpetrated violence. In Sierra Leone today, most social institutions have reneged on their responsibilities to perform
societal functions. These failures have served as a causative factor for
youth violence in post-conflict Sierra Leone
and continue to make the country unstable. In this study, the researcher advances the argument on the basis of the
findings that young people who engage in violent behaviors are protected mainly
by their families, communities, and friends, making law enforcement difficult.