Half of British adults are scared of children who 'behave like feral animals'

[mc_squared]

Half of British adults are scared of children who 'behave like feral animals'

 

By Laura Clark

Last updated at 12:36 PM on 17th November 2008

 

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Half of British adults believe children's behaviour has descended to the level of feral animals, a survey revealed today.

The charity Barnardo's found that Britons are increasingly frightened of the younger generation and believe them to be a danger to each other and adults.

A poll of more than 2,000 adults found that 54 per cent believe British children are 'beginning to behave like animals'.

 

 

Plague: Adults have likened children to 'feral animals' and 'vermin' who have 'infested' the streets of Britain

A similar proportion agreed that children are sometimes referred to as 'feral' because this is the way they conduct themselves.

More than a third of respondents likened children to vermin, warning that the streets were 'infested' with them.

The findings sparked claims that escalating youth crime and a wave of horrific stabbings were taking their toll on the public's perception of children.

Latest figures from the Youth Justice Board show that crimes against the person committed by 10 to 17-year-olds are up by 39 per cent in three years. These range from common assault to murder .

Almost 300,000 crimes of any kind were committed by under-18s in 2006/07, with boys responsible for 235,893 and girls 59,236.

Caution: Barnardo's chief executive Martin Narey says the vast majority of children are decent, enthusiastic, caring and conscientious

 

But Barnardo's cautioned against the casual condemnation of children and warned that public attitudes betrayed a 'disturbing intolerance' of young people when most were 'decent and caring'.

A survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of the charity found that 49 per cent of Britons agree that 'children are increasingly a danger' to each other and adults.

The same proportion disagreed with the statement that children who get into trouble are often misunderstood and in need of professional help.

Forty-three per cent believed 'something has to be done' to protect us from children.

Men were slightly more likely than women to outraged by children's behaviour and more older respondents were concerned than younger.

However a significant minority of 18 to 24-year-olds also believed children were becoming like animals.

Respondents in Wales and Yorkshire were slightly more likely to believe that children behaved in this way than other parts of the country.

Barnardo's chief executive Martin Narey said: 'It is appalling that words like "animal", "feral" and "vermin" are used daily in reference to children. These are not references to a small minority of children but represent the public view of all children.

'Despite the fact that most children are not troublesome there is still a perception that today's young people are a more unruly, criminal lot than ever before.

'Barnardo's is not naive. We recognise that a minority of children are antisocial and some commit crimes. When that happens, both in the interests of the child and in the interests of the victims, firm action needs to be taken.

'But the vast majority of children are decent, enthusiastic, caring and conscientious. The minority who are not, and those who do start down the path of bad behaviour, can be helped to change direction.'

Barnardo's commissioned the poll ahead of a TV advertising campaign designed to show that troublesome children often have difficult home lives and can be helped to turn around their behaviour.

[Saffire]

Is this generation of British just particularly bad at raising their children? I have to wonder what's causing this.

[mc_squared]

Is this generation of British just particularly bad at raising their children? I have to wonder what's causing this.

 

A social plague called Chavitis.:rolleyes:

[StephenG]

It's been going on a few generations really. Basically poor kids with poor parents, its nothing new, it just feels it because this generation has grown up with Chavs. But before this there were other anti social groups.

 

The problem is basically broken homes, council estates, bad parenting and all the common factors, on a very large scale.

 

Other countries have similar problems, but not as widespread as in Britain...

[Saffire]

I don't mean to pick on Britain, but maybe a greater cultural emphasis should be placed on the responsibilities of parents. It sounds to me like people are just having kids and not supervising them well.

 

What's the divorce rate in Britain? I also wonder how many stabbings occur there, compared to how many shootings occur in America per capita. Interesting stuff.

[HorrificAttack]

I don't actually know any kids like this, it's just the media going mad about things to make them seem worse than they are.

[General Smut]

^You wanna live in london. They roam the side streets like packs of hyenna's.

 

Its all harmless stuff, but you do get the one who tries to be the bad ass to impress their mates.

[mc_squared]

^You wanna live in london. They roam the side streets like packs of hyenna's.

 

 

:stunned:

[Space Cadet]

Sounds like it's the adults that need an attitude adjustment.

 

And you get packs of kids anywhere there's big groups of kids. It's not always healthy, but it's part of their nature. Just ask St. Augustine.

[mc_squared]

'Feral' boy, 14, stabbed man with broken beer bottle after he refused to buy him alcohol

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 12:09 PM on 18th November 2008

 

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David Willis was attacked by a group of boys in Plymouth because he would not buy them alcohol

 

A boy of 14 jabbed a broken beer bottle into a man’s neck and ear because he refused to buy him alcohol, a court heard today.

 

The teenager who carried out the glassing in a ‘feral’ attack had roamed the streets uncontrolled since the age of just three, a judge was told.

 

The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was today starting an 18-month detention and training order after he was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court.

Francis Gilbert QC heard how he swung a broken beer bottle at David Willis leaving him with injuries that needed 37 stitches.

The violent assault came after Mr Willis, 24, refused to buy the boy beer and cigarettes.

David needed 37 stitches in his ear after he was stabbed with a beer bottle

 

Jason Beal, defending, said that attack followed the youngster’s ‘pitiful’ upbringing.

He said the boy had suffered neglect from birth and said his parents were violent offenders and drug addicts.

Mr Beal said: ‘He suffered neglect from birth and an utter absence of any form of meaningful control from the days he could walk.

‘From the age of three, he was wandering around the streets uncared for.’ He said the defendant’s siblings had followed the same route as their parents.

Mr Beal said the youth ‘imparts of blame at all’ to the victim and knows that what he did was wrong.

The defence barrister said the attack was a ‘feral act’.

Judge Gilbert said the youth was a persistent offender but he had no choice but to lock him up despite his upbringing.

The judge said it was an unprovoked attack and the teenager was at the time on a conditional discharge for an offence of racially aggravated abuse or threats.

The boy admitted a charge of unlawful wounding in May in the Devonport area of Plymouth.

The victim Mr Willis said he was now scared to leave his home.

The mechanic said: ‘I can’t remember a lot of it. It was a shock that someone that young could do that.

‘For some time afterwards I didn’t feel safe outside my own home.

‘I’ve had a lot of trouble sleeping and still get a lot of pain in my ear.

‘It’s a good sentence but in a way I feel he has got away with it because he hasn’t been named.’

The judge rejected an application to lift a banning order on naming the defendant.

The court heard that Mr Willis was on his way home at 6pm with friend Darren Plummer carrying 15 cans of beer when they were approached by a gang of five youths.

 

 

When Mr Willis refused to buy the underage lad any beer or tobacco, he was punched in the mouth, verbally abused and then hit with the broken bottle by the teenager.

The judge said the offender will spend nine months in detention and nine months being trained in custody.

[mc_squared]

Sounds like it's the adults that need an attitude adjustment.

 

And you get packs of kids anywhere there's big groups of kids. It's not always healthy, but it's part of their nature. Just ask St. Augustine.

 

"Groups" in themselves aren't a problem. It's their behaviour that matters.;)

[Space Cadet]

^Yeah, but what I mean is, if adults are going to be scared of their own kids like that, just because of the groups, it's going to become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Mutual animosity followed by acting out. Sort of like everyone wears hoodies here, but over there, it's demonized, and has become a symbol. The adults made it a symbol by implying it was bad.

 

I'm under no illusions about how destructive gangs can be. We've had some nasty swarmings around here lately- groups of kids suddenly materializing to brutally attack someone random just for the fun of it. But anyone will tell you those kids have had rough lives and need help, and no one's scared of kids in general because of them. Only of walking alone on the commons at night.

[StephenG]

Canada and the US seem like much better countries that over here. With a bit of luck ill be going to one of them next year...

[mc_squared]

^Yeah, but what I mean is, if adults are going to be scared of their own kids like that, just because of the groups

 

The "feral" kids in question have no respect for authority or age, they're all extremely street-wise, and and the majority of them carry knives.

Therefore it doesn't matter if they're 15, 13 or ten. They're all equally threatening.

A ten-year-old with a knife can be every bit as dangerous as someone twice his age.

There have been several well-documented incidents in the past few years where adults have ended up dead at the hands of kids like that. Therefore I can quite fully understand the "fear".

[Petit Prince]

I don't actually know any kids like this, it's just the media going mad about things to make them seem worse than they are.

 

I pretty much agree with you.

 

There are some incidents obviously but the media focuses way too much on this topic. It's not like you shouldn't try to make sure that young people behave differently but criminalising like half of them is a completely wrong approach. A lot of people look down on kids [ who are mostly from a working class background] simply because of the way they dress and they just assume that they are gonna behave antisocial.

 

I don't live in London but I work with kids from one of the most deprived areas in England and I completely disagree with the way the media represents young people.

[Space Cadet]

The "feral" kids in question have no respect for authority or age, they're all extremely street-wise, and and the majority of them carry knives.

Therefore it doesn't matter if they're 15, 13 or ten. They're all equally threatening.

A ten-year-old with a knife can be every bit as dangerous as someone twice his age.

There have been several well-documented incidents in the past few years where adults have ended up dead at the hands of kids like that. Therefore I can quite fully understand the "fear".

 

Yeah. Recently downtown, a group of young girls were caught beating an old lady nearly to death with metal table legs in broad daylight, apparently just because they could.

 

That doesn't mean that you suddenly have to be terrified of the all the girls at the mall shopping just because they're kids who are in a group. But that's exactly what it sounds like is happening, with a large dash of pure british classism thrown in for good measure.

[mc_squared]

Yeah. Recently downtown, a group of young girls were caught beating an old lady nearly to death with metal table legs in broad daylight, apparently just because they could.

 

Well the fact that kind of thing is even happening should set alarm bells ringing in itself.;)

[Petit Prince]

Doesn't explain why you need to label all kids that dress in a certain way as chavs/ scallies, look down on them and blame them for the majority of social problems. Young people, who behave antisocial aren't unique to Britain yet scallies apparently are.

[Space Cadet]

Doesn't explain why you need to label all kids that dress in a certain way as chavs/ scallies, look down on them and blame them for the majority of social problems. Young people, who behave antisocial aren't unique to Britain yet scallies apparently are.

EXACTLY.

 

Well the fact that kind of thing is even happening should set alarm bells ringing in itself.;)

Oh, it is. Big time. It's happening all over North America. But we aren't labeling them trailer trash or animals and demonizing all children who wear hoodies because of it. They're a combination of kids with harsh lives who need help and love and acceptance if they're ever going to get better or know better, mixed with bubble-wrapped kids who've been squeezed so tight their whole lives they see no other way to get attention than to act out.

 

Fear and labels don't help.

[mc_squared]

EXACTLY.

 

Oh, it is. Big time. It's happening all over North America. But we aren't labeling them trailer trash or animals and demonizing all children who wear hoodies because of it. They're a combination of kids with harsh lives who need help and love and acceptance if they're ever going to get better or know better, mixed with bubble-wrapped kids who've been squeezed so tight their whole lives they see no other way to get attention than to act out.

 

Fear and labels don't help.

 

And neither does letting them run riot and do as they wish.;)

[a_face_of_light]

^You wanna live in london. They roam the side streets like packs of hyenna's.

 

Its all harmless stuff, but you do get the one who tries to be the bad ass to impress their mates.

 

Where in London do you live?,I've never really experienced it myself :)

[mc_squared]

Where in London do you live?,I've never really experienced it myself :)

 

That's probably because you live in Knightsbridge!!:P

[Petit Prince]

And neither does letting them run riot and do as they wish.;)

 

What do you think should be done about it then?

[General Smut]

Where in London do you live?,I've never really experienced it myself :)

 

I live in Bermondsey. They tend to hang around the local off license and most of the time they ignore you, but you do get one on occassions who acts big in front of their mates.

[mc_squared]

I live in Bermondsey.

 

Please accept my deepest condolences!!:P