Young people, gangs and paramilitary violence in Northern Ireland

Youth gangs and paramilitary violence in Northern Ireland, John Pitts, citing research undertaken over several decades in Northern Ireland, considers the legacy of the ‘Troubles’ for the children, young people and families who live in the sectarian strongholds of the Province. He endeavors to explain something of the mindset of many of the people living in these areas, their sense of victimization and the burden this places on the younger generation. By way of example, he charts the history of the Tartan youth gangs that morphed into a faction of the ‘Loyalist’’ Ulster Defence Association and notes that despite the 1996 peace accord young people continue to be recruited into both Loyalist and Nationalist organizations which may then involve them in fund-raising via drug-dealing and violent street demonstrations. He concludes with a consideration of how re-framing this situation as a children’s rights issue could constitute part of the solution.