‘It feels like it’s the end of the worldだ

This research paper discusses the ecological factors influencing children's involvement in gangs, specifically within the context of South Africa. Using a nested systems model, it identifies risk and protective factors across individual, microsystem, exosystem, and macrosystem levels, while arguing that the state has failed to uphold children's rights to safety, education, and recreation.

• Children's involvement in gangs is influenced by a nested ecology of contexts, where risk factors (such as poverty and drug addiction) and protective factors (such as prosocial peer groups and family monitoring) operate at individual, microsystem, exosystem, and macrosystem levels.
• At the microsystem level, parents and family members are critical in preventing gang involvement through behavior monitoring, discussing choices, and providing positive role models. Conversely, children viewed schools as unsafe and permissive of gang fights, noting that school dropout is a key precursor to gang membership.
• The exosystem contains the most causal factors for gangsterism, including the lack of prosocial after-school activities, the promotion of criminal role models in the media, and the failure of government institutions. Specifically, children called for the police to root out corruption and for the justice system to stop losing dockets and refusing bail for violent offenses.
• Poverty is identified as a primary macrosystem influence that fuels crime by creating relative deprivation and limiting economic opportunities. Children emphasized that poverty alleviation must include improved housing, feeding schemes, free education, and access to mental health services.
• The document asserts that the South African state is infringing upon children's rights as defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children (AC), particularly regarding the right to life, protection from violence, education, and the right to leisure and recreation.
• To prevent gang involvement, the author recommends a multi-level approach: increasing prosocial extramural activities, improving school safety, eradicating police corruption, and providing protection programs (such as removal from the community) for children attempting to leave gangs.

APA

Ward, C. L. (n.d.). ‘It feels like it’s the end of the worldだ. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/M136CHAP4.PDF

Chicago

Ward, Catherine L. ‘It feels like it’s the end of the worldだ. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/M136CHAP4.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ward |first1=Catherine L. |title=‘It feels like it’s the end of the worldだ |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/M136CHAP4.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wardndfeels, author = {Ward, Catherine L.}, title = {{‘It feels like it’s the end of the worldだ}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/M136CHAP4.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }