STREET LIFE SAFETY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

“Street Life Safety for Young People” project addresses the problem of young people, of school age, as victims of bullying and anti-social behaviour in public places – in particular travelling to and from school and the leisure time immediately before and after school.

It is well documented that children are the most common victims of crime. The most recent English language study (Howard League(2007) Children as victims: child-sized crimes in a child-sized world) found that more than two thirds of children had been assaulted and/or the victims of theft. More than half the children had seen their property deliberately damaged, while others reported threats or verbal abuse. The majority of recorded incidents occurred in schools and playgrounds, with “much of the rest between school and home” (the area we wish to study). However, the report also notes that children were unlikely to report many of these ‘travel in public places’ incidents to police or teachers because they felt those adults would not be interested. Therefore the true extent of bullying and anti-social behaviour, is not known. The research also found that children feared crime, and felt vulnerable and scared. They felt demonised as perpetrators rather than seen as victims.

Although there have been numerous initiatives in individual countries against bullying, minor crime and anti-social behaviour within schools, there has been much less attention paid to these forms of harmful behaviour in public places before and after school and there has been no trans-European project focusing on pre and post school violence and anti- social behaviour.

The project will involve partners in different countries collaborating with the organisations involved in child safety before and after school (including education agencies, transport authorities, police and local authorities) to conduct research to ascertain the nature and extent of bullying and anti-social behaviour against school age children before and after school; to map initiatives in this area; and to develop new policies to ensure safety. The partners will exchange information at three meetings and will develop a website to catalogue the most effective ideas and will provide guidance into how to implement them.

The project consists of a number of parallel activities taking place in each country. Each partner will be responsible for drawing together a local steering group of all relevant agencies concerned with the safety of young people. For example, this might include the police, the local education authorities, the municipality, local youth organisations and representatives of young people themselves.

The academic partners will undertake a literature review of policy initiatives and bring these to the attention of the local steering group for discussion and commentary.

Each partner will then conduct the field research in parallel with each other. This will consist of two stages. In stage one there will be a questionnaire, given to school-age children in the partners’ localities and in Stage 2, there will be a number of interviews and focus groups.

There will be a final Report, a website, and a ‘tool-kit’ of how to carry out a project to increase the safety of young people of school age. This will be on the website.

Duration: 24 months