Violent femmes
Violence among young girls rises sharply
A report to be released tomorrow reveals that youth crime has grown rapidly in the past ten years, and that disturbingly, young girls are more violent than ever.
The report analyses crime figures between 1996 and 2006, showing that the number of violent crimes committed by young people aged 10 to 19 rose by more than 5000. Specifically, more girls aged 10 to 14 were involved in serious offences like homicide, sexual assault and robbery. The rate of assaults by girls aged 10 to 14 rose by 60 per cent in Queensland, 45 per cent in New South Wales and 36 per cent in Victoria.
The report will be discussed in Brisbane tomorrow by Paul Mazerolle, who undertook the research for Griffith University's Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance.
Mazerolle has linked the increase in violent crime to social networking websites and alcohol abuse. He says that taping video content of violent confrontations has resulted in a culture of criminal competition and 'encouraged [young people] to look at ways of gaining status.'
Of course, the number of celebrity bad girls has risen, too. These violent female celebs have made headlines...for all the wrong reasons.