New campaign against youth violence: ‘Your mother does not want you to end up in prison’

More and more young people are arming themselves with a knife in front of the exit, the police report and social workers are also observing the phenomenon. There is also a worrying increase in stabbings among young people. The two cities of Zurich and Basel are therefore launching a new campaign against youth violence.

The message: “Your mom doesn’t want you to go to jail.” Campaign leader Daniel Sollberger told SRF that many young people misjudge the consequences of the stabbing: “If someone hits, they get a punishment for hitting. If someone stabs, it’s a serious bodily injury and they have to answer for it.”

The police officer from Basel believes that many young people naively carry knives to protect themselves. But you risked too much:

It is a good campaign, says ZHAW criminologist Dirk Baier to SRF. Still, you shouldn’t expect miracles: “You can’t suddenly undo all the socialization experiences of 15 years with a two-minute video.”

However, research shows that such campaigns are well received by young people if they are used correctly. It would therefore be important to embed the message in school lessons and then discuss it in plenary, says Baier. (lion)