Watch: ARTE Europe Weekly: Why are so many young people joining gangs?
Many of them see few prospects outside crime
In Sweden, a gang war has been raging for years, driven by the arms and drug trade.
These gangs aren’t just recruiting young people – they rely on them. Many of these kids, some barely teenagers, see few prospects outside of crime, allowing criminal networks to thrive.
Now, the European Parliament and law enforcement agencies in Brussels are pledging tougher crackdowns. But can they keep up with gangs that always seem one step ahead?
This interview is produced by ARTE and distributed in nine languages thanks to the Emove Hub project. Participating media outlets include EL PAÍS (Spain), Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland), Internazionale (Italy), Ir (Latvia), Kathimerini (Greece), Le Soir (Belgium) and Telex (Hungary). Each receive funding from the European Union under the European Media Hubs call, led by the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect).