There are close to 100 gangs operating in the country, according to data from the Police Service. Most of the members are young men between the ages of 14 and 25 and they look up to their gang leaders, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said yesterday. “They love the culture. They feel they are not wanted by their parents or teachers. They feel no one cares too much for them,” Persad-Bissessar said in her message on International Youth Day.
The theme of this year’s International Youth Day was “Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward”, and focussed on youths migrating to the great beyond. The day was observed to raise awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with youth migration. Persad-Bissessar, acknowledging this, added: “We have another problem at our doorsteps.” She said a section of T&T’s young population is attracted by gang activity and youth involvement in criminal activity was a major problem.
She added: “But what is the spin-off effect? They are being wiped out. Just look at the television news at night or read the daily newspapers. “Our young men are being dealt a deadly blow because of their association with gangs. Look at the police statistics, most of the victims of gangland activities are youths between 14 and 25.
“Look at the persons being taken to court in handcuffs. They are before the courts charged with offences, such as murder, robbery with aggravation and kidnapping. They are also involved in the drug trade. The youths are everywhere in the criminal world. “Look at how mothers hold their stomachs and cry over the loss of their sons. These youths die for no reason.” The PM appealed for help to save the youth.
“We have to protect our youths before it is too late. We appeal to parents, teachers and the churches to assist. We must watch our young men grow. “We must be proud of them when they graduate to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers. We must not be lining up at mortuaries, funeral homes or cemeteries,” she said. The PM said by the time International Youth Day comes around on August 12, 2014, there must be a change.
“We must ensure our youths are not involved in criminal activity. We must ensure our young men are not killed by rival gangs or by the police. “We must uplift them and ensure that theme, “Moving Development Forward”, means our youths are moving forward in the right direction,” she added.