Some 6.5% of Italian teens belong to
youth gangs, a survey by the national observatory ion
adolescence said at the weekend.
Some 16% of them have committed vandalism while three in 10
teens have taken part in street fights, the survey said.
Over 30,000 teens were reported for violence in 2020, the survey
said.
"Without educational qualifications and without jobs they seek
in the teen gang culture pride and a sense of belonging, and
often a desire to succeed by fleeing a present without
prospects, getting their kicks in violence against people and
property" said the report.
Teen gangs are a feature of many Italian cities with Milan and
other northern urban centres plagued by hooligans of South
American or Central American extraction.
Juvenile delinquence is also a problem in Rome, Naples and other
central and southern cities.
Sociologists say the phenomenon is on the rise.
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