OR Rome announces a stronger police presence. In just 17 days, three teenagers have been shot dead in Naples. First 15-year-old Emanuele T., then 19-year-old Santo R. and last weekend 18-year-old Arcangelo K. The suspected perpetrators are teenagers of a similar age. Civil society in Italy is helpless and pessimistic.

OR violence between youth gangs not an uncommon occurrence in the town of Lower Italy. Even the use of weapons is by no means surprising. The cruelty, but also the unrestrained behavior of the young perpetrators shocks even the society of Naples. Formerly the youths carried knives or globes, now pistols. In recent years there have been more and more reports of the use of weapons in conflicts between youths.

The Camorra is recruiting young people

The fact that so many guns are circulating is a cause for concern for the authorities. Especially in the outskirts of Naples, they are easy to get. The young man accused of shooting Santo R. he claimed to have bought his pistol in the Scabia district, a stronghold of mafia families where gangs and drugs are a daily occurrence. “Unfortunately, weapons are easy to find and buy online,” says anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Grateri.

Murders in the environment of the Neapolitan mafia, also known as the Camorra, are not uncommon. Camorra factions are increasingly using young people for their “dirty work”, says author Roberto Saviano, known for his revelations about mafia activity. He appreciates that they are more violent and have no inhibitions unlike older men. It is noteworthy, however, that the three dead young men do not appear to have had ties to the mafia. Perhaps their deaths are related to conflicts between various groups. In the case of Arcangelo K. it was his cousin who shot him. The alleged shooter claims his gun went off, but investigators have their doubts. Rival mafia gangs could be involved in the death of Emanuele T.

Young people have no hope and no perspective

Humanitarian organizations report that 18% of children in Naples leave school without a high school diploma. The Italian city and the surrounding area are characterized by high unemployment and undeclared work. Many young people lack perspective, while the state and institutions are often absent from their lives. Santo R’s aunt. expressed her complaint on Italian television: “For the institutions, dead teenagers are just a statistic. Nothing has changed. That’s why I recommend: Give them hope, give them perspective. These young people have lost hope.”

Together with numerous protesters, Santo’s aunt R. participated in the last two weeks in demonstrations against youth violence in Naples, asking for more support from the State. “There is a social problem and we must face it together. We have to cultivate a culture of legality among young people,” Naples police chief Maurizio Agricola emphasized in an interview. After the murders of the three youths, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piadendozzi visited Naples and announced a plan to combat the rise in youth violence: more police in notorious clubs, nightclubs and more surveillance cameras in the city center. However, many Neapolitans doubt whether these measures are enough.

Editor: Stefanos Georgakopoulos