Adolescence is generally perceived as starting with puberty
and ending when young people begin to transition into
adulthood by taking up “adult roles” such as employment,
parenting and marriage.1
This includes young people between the
ages of 12 and 24.2
For many young people these transitions into
adulthood may happen at an earlier age or may be postponed in a
context of rising youth unemployment and job insecurity.
Nevertheless, adolescents are generally considered as entering
a stage with a higher level of risk.3
As young adults move further
away from home and family in search of connections with peers,
risk-taking behaviour and their exposure to and engagement with
different forms of violence may increase. In addition, structural
factors such as poor quality education, economic hardship,
unemployment, and family and community vulnerability may lead
young people to be attracted to crime and gang membership.4
Adolescence sets a tone and influences future progression into
adulthood. It is therefore important that the nature of violence in
adolescence and the contexts in which it occurs are understood
to enable the development of effective primary prevention
interventions. This essay therefore aims to address the following
questions:
• What types of violence do adolescents experience?
• What is the impact of violence in adolescence?
• What are the key risk and protective factors?
• What are promising interventions to address violence
in adolescence?
• What are the recommendations?