Youth empowerment vital for curbing street violence, experts say

QAU organises seminar on youth violence in risky neighbourhoods

In order to curb the problem of juvenile delinquency in risky neighbourhoods, the policymakers should utilise the four “Es”: Education, Employment, Engagement and Empowerment of the youth.

Author Dr Muhammad Zaman stated this at a seminar titled: “Street Code and Youth Violence in Risky Neighborhoods: A Cross-cultural Comparison of Youth Violence in Germany, Pakistan and South Africa.”

He explained that the first step is the provision of quality education followed by employment. The youth should be provided with the technical skills and economic opportunities. Furthermore, the civic engagement and provision of sports activities should and the youth be ensured and the youth should be involved in decision making and there is a need to make the youth feel more politically empowered.

The seminar was held along with a book launch in Islamabad on Wednesday. The ceremony and seminar were organised by the Department of Sociology at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU). Dr Zaman further discussed the similarities and differences of how the street codes operate in different cultural contexts.

It was the joint research project of the Institute of Conflict and Violence (IKG) Bilefeld University Germany, QAU Department of Sociology and Cape Town University South Africa under the leadership of Prof Dr Wilehlm Heitmeyer, Dr Steffen Zdun, Dr Sebastian Kurtenbach, Dr Simon Howell, Abdul Rauf and Dr Muhammad Zaman.

The participants of the seminar discussed the core findings of their research on codes of the street and violence. This seminar served as an opportunity to discuss the dynamics of street violence and the way forward to address youth affairs. Participants shared their knowledge, exchanged best practices, and discussed ways to improve and provide a conducive environment for the youth to become a productive part of society.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2019.