Violence
blamed on teenage mums
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1593326,00.html
Observer
- 16th October 2005
Study claims
that immature young parents with poor discipline techniques are
creating aggressive children
Britain's
high rate of teenage pregnancies is a principal factor in the cause
of violent crime, according to a controversial report by a leading
criminologist.
Speaking
before the launch of one of the largest ever studies into violence,
its author George Hosking said that parents under 16 were contributing
to 'a cycle' of aggression that meant people were 25 times more
likely to be a victim of violence than 50 years ago. His comments
were denounced by many as demonising young parents.
Hosking
referred to evidence that a person's propensity to violence is determined
by the age of three. He said that teenage parents can lack 'emotional
maturity' and misjudged attempts at discipline could lead to their
children developing violent tendencies. A strong, healthy relationship
between parents and babies is vital to reducing aggression, he said.
'More and
more children are being born to younger parents who have no reference
to draw on in how to handle a baby,' said Hosking, a clinical criminologist
and chief executive of the Wave Trust, a charity dedicated to tackling
the root causes of violence and which this week will unveil its
nine-year study into the issue.
He added:
'Lower emotional maturity, lower emotional reserves and experience
or maturity that people can draw on as parents play a role. People
treated particularly badly under the age of three were more likely
to go on and abuse as adults. Early intervention is required to
stop a cycle of violence from developing.'
Despite
government attempts to tackle teenage pregnancies, Britain still
has one of the highest rates in Europe. Latest figures reveal that
the rate of under-16-year-old pregnancies in England and Wales has
increased.
Although
Hosking said he wanted to avoid being seen as critical of parents,
his views will be interpreted by some as yet another attack on teenage
mothers and fathers.
Catherine
Evans of the Brook Centre said: 'There is a real risk of demonising
teenage parents who are doing their very best for their children.
They need support rather than being undermined or criticised. Teenage
parents themselves are likely to have fewer educational opportunities
and that is likely to have a knock-on effect on the outcomes of
their children, but I am not aware of any evidence on the effects
of teenage pregnancies.'
However
Norman Wells, director of Family and Youth Concern, a research group
that looks into the causes of family breakdown, said: 'It certainly
could be a factor. It shows the importance of addressing the high
rates of out-of-wedlock teenage pregnancies that we have in this
country.'
The Wave
Trust report, which analysed scores of academic studies into the
causes of violence, claims that people are 25 times more likely
to be a victim of violent crime now compared to the Fifties. Based
on official police statistics, the study calculated that in 1950
there were 47 violent offences per thousand people compared to 1,158
for 2003/2004.
Hosking,
who is 61, added: 'When I was walking around in the Fifties compared
with walking around now we are looking at levels of risk and violence
way beyond what was present at that time.
'Comparisons
are now being made using the Nineties as a yardstick, yet violence
then was many, many times higher than in the Fifties. We should
be looking to that decade for a normal, acceptable level of violence,'
said Hosking.
The increasing
risk of violence contradict the findings of the British Crime Survey,
which indicates that violent crime is going down. A spokesperson
at the Home Office would not comment without having seen the methodology
used by the Wave Trust.
However,
he said: 'The British Crime Survey is regarded internationally as
the most reliable measure of trends of crime. It shows violent crime
is actually falling and has reached its lowest point since 1981.'
