Engaging With Youth and Reducing Gang Violence in Bentiu
From Gangs to Protection Teams
Since the establishment of Bentiu Protection of Civilians Site (PoC), a lack of livelihood opportunities and economic security as well as multi-generational trauma has contributed to high levels of insecurity. The insecurity and criminality have been characterized by thefts, robberies, killings, extortion, assaults, and smuggling of small arms and light weapons (SALW) into the PoC. The community largely attributed the high levels of violence to the different gang groups that dominate the various blocks and sectors of the PoC. Community members report that they feel unsafe to walk along the PoC roads for fear of violence perpetrated by gang members.
Recognizing that a long-term and sustainable response was necessary to counter increased violence, NP sought, throughout its implementation of the programming in the PoC, to transform gang members into youth protection team (YPT) members and increase engagement with the youth population. NP conducted a number of UCP trainings, which included a focus on community protection, GBV prevention and response, and psychological first aid, to the youth which included gang members. In 2019, NP helped facilitate the formation of six youth protection teams each comprised of 30 or more members pulled from youth, including former gang members, who had participated in the trainings and engagements since 2016.
Along with other youths, approximately 21 gang group members (11 girls and 10 boys) participated in YPTs and, as of today, four of the former gang members are active in facilitating awareness raising activities on issues confronting youth.
Youth-Led Response to COVID-19
In 2020, the spread of COVID-19 alarmed the PoC community and many had not received proper information about the virus, how it spreads, and prevention protocols. In order to spread awareness on COVID-19, from April 2020 to July 2020, NP engaged with and provided skills building activities to the YPTs with the expectation that the YPTs could then conduct COVID-19 awareness to youth members of their communities. Gaining knowledge and skills from several capability building activities, YPTs are now capable of running their own independent activities.
Seeing the youth, including former gang members, facilitating awareness raising activities and becoming active in other community activities has sparked the interest of some gang members to become involved in YPT activities, thereby creating a pull factor from gang groups to more positive community-based mechanisms. NP utilized this interest to mobilize the YPTs who were former gang group members to facilitate awareness raising sessions to active gang members. When the current gang members see former gang members facilitating YPT sessions, they become more motivated to get involved in positive groups like the YPTs.
On July 8, YPTs organized a COVID-19 awareness raising activity to 10 members of a gang group (8 males and 2 females). The awareness raising session opened the minds of the gang group members to reduce social interaction and encouraged them to join future awareness raising activities for other youth. They recognized the need to follow prevention protocols in order to protect their communities, especially given that there are many vulnerable groups in the community such as the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions.
The gang members who participated in the awareness raising session initiated by the YPTs are planning to join future YPT activities and get involved in making positive changes with other youth in the community. As one gang member said,
“It’s not because we are not listening, but no any organization that takes action in capacitating and mobilizing us to volunteer ourselves to work for others in the community. We will be working together with our colleagues who become today as facilitators. We hope NP will not give-up to continue with these beautiful works.”
Sustaining Momentum for Youth Engagement
In order to continue their work, the YPTs plans to reach out to other gang group members to conduct more awareness raising sessions. The YPTs also conducted a joint protection meeting with the Women Protection Team (WPT) to discuss protection issues in the POC and devise means of dressing identified issues. The YPTs and WPTs developed a plan to assemble conduct joint patrols in hotspot areas during which they will engage with parents and guardians to identify and address child protection issues and disseminate information about COVID-19 and prevention strategies issues. The YPTs and WPTs developed a plan to assemble conduct joint patrols in hotspot areas during which they will engage with parents and guardians to identify and address child protection issues and disseminate information about COVID-19 and prevention strategies.