Victims of Violence: The View from the Youth Services *

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss a series of issues pertaining to the violence experienced by young people in Australian society. Based upon a major survey of youth workers in Western Australia, it documents the extent to which young people who use youth services have been subjected to forms of violence such as incest, assault and harassment. In addition to providing information based upon the survey findings, it critically evaluates the nature of ‘violence’ as this pertains to young people at the social structural, at the situational and at the social group levels. It also explores the link between the activities of the ‘legitimate’ wielders of violence (eg, parents, police), and questions relating to the basic human and civil rights of young people. The article concludes by situating the current violence involving young people within the context of economic crisis, changes in social welfare policy and provision and public concerns with ‘law and order’.