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Case Studies>>DFID - Youth Exclusion, Violence, Conflict and Fragile States (2009)
In a report for DFID's Equity and Rights Team, Lyndsay McLean Hilker and Erika Fraser argue that the structural exclusion and lack of opportunities faced by young people in many developing countries can block or prolong their transition to adulthood and lead to frustration and disillusionment, which, under certain circumstances, can result in their engagement in violence.
Lyndsay McLean Hilker (senior consultant) and Erika Fraser (network member) recently completed a report for DFID's Equity and Rights Team to scope our existing evidence on the linkages between youth exclusion and violence in conflict-affected and fragile states to enable DFID to better understand the implications for poverty elimination, statebuilding, peacebuilding and conflict prevention. The study involved a literature review and consultations with key informants from DFID, other donor agencies, academia and youth groups.
The report traces the gradual shift in discourse from 'children' as the 'victims' of violence to 'youth' as a 'threat' to security and stability and stresses that, although there is statistical evidence of a connection between high relative youth populations and the risk of armed conflict, the majority of young people do not get involved in armed conflict.
The study reviews different theories about youth involvement in violence including 'greed' and 'grievance' perspectives and 'developmental' perspectives that stress biological, social and psychological factors. It argues that the most compelling explanations is that the structural exclusion and lack of opportunities faced by young people in many developing countries can effectively block or prolong their transition to adulthood and lead to frustration and disillusionment which, under certain circumstances, can lead to their engagement in violence.
Although young men and women get involved in violence for multiple and diverse reasons, which must be analysed in context, there are a number of 'structural' factors that appear to underlie youth exclusion and can increase the likelihood of youth engagement in violence:
- Un- and underemployment / lack of livelihood opportunities
- Insufficient, unequal or inappropriate education and skills
- Poor governance and weak political participation
- Gender inequalities and socialization practices
- Legacy of past violence
Nonetheless, large numbers of youth often suffer the same conditions of exclusion, but most do not get involved in violence. The evidence therefore suggests a number of 'proximate' factors that, giving underlying conditions of exclusion, can lead to the mobilisation of specific individuals and groups into violence:
- Recruitment, coercion and indoctrination
- Identity politics and ideology
- Leadership and organizational dynamics
- Trigger events
The study also highlights the limited, but growing literature on factors that might foster resilience and prevent the mobilisation of young people into violence. For example, there is some evidence that migration can be a key safety valve for frustrated young people and that young people's involvement in community-level associations can increase their social capital and sense of belonging and empowerment.
Finally, the study includes a brief review of policies and programmes to address youth exclusion and violence and draws out a number of key lessons, opportunities and challenges for DFID. It concludes with a set of recommendations for DFID policy and programmes and highlight key areas for follow-up work and future research.