Integration Expert: Migration Background Alone Not the Cause of Youth Gangs in Vienna

For months, youth gangs have been at the center of reporting due to alleged sexual assaults and acts of violence. According to media reports, the suspects are young men, many of whom have a refugee or migration background. "We must address these parallel realities so that society does not become divided," said integration expert Emina Saric, who works on the topic of gender-based violence, particularly in the context of "honor," among other things, at the Association for Men's and Gender Issues in Graz.

Youth Gangs as Rebellion Against the Majority

The migration background alone is not a reason for young people to repeatedly commit crimes; rather, it has to do with social status - or status frustration - said experts with whom the APA has spoken in the past. When young people commit acts of violence or cross sexual boundaries, they often come from broken families and have had numerous negative experiences, according to the experts. When young people who live here in the second generation become criminal, it can, according to Saric, be an expression of rebellion, in addition to social and family backgrounds or peer pressure. Rebellion during puberty is normal, even necessary for identity formation, explained the expert. But normally, the rebellion is directed against one's own parents. With the youth gangs, however, it is different - they rebel against societal structures. "Because many do not dare to rebel against their fathers." They do not feel part of the majority society and thus also show "their contempt for the overall society." Two or three gang wars are enough to shake a small country like Austria. And some people become afraid - according to Saric, this is also a goal of the youths.

Integration Expert: Youths Between Realities

In many communities, honor plays a significant role. The youths, as Saric described it, find themselves in the tension field of different realities. On one hand, there is the Austrian majority society, in which the boys may not have received everything they need. And then there are communities, where they retreat, often with traditional, patriarchal structures and gender roles: girls are given instructions on how to behave or dress, and boys must fulfill prescribed roles, which Saric called "honorable." "Patriarchal societies presuppose a certain exercise of power, and this exercise of power is dominated by men," she explained. Men take a central position in these patriarchal communities - which exist everywhere, even in Europe. When men have to flee, perhaps receive social assistance at the place of arrival, and in their opinion, can no longer fulfill the role of provider or protector, they perceive this as a loss of masculinity - and thus also of status. "That's why many men retreat into the communities, because there they create this reality."

Youth Gangs as Symptoms of a Disease

The violent outbreaks of youth gangs and gang wars in Vienna were compared by Emina Saric to the "first signs of a societal pathology." "All that the first generation perhaps did not dare to express - out of survival fear or other reasons, comes to light in the second generation." Therefore, it is important to look at "what we missed, did not see, or did not pay attention to in the process of integration in school and education." But how can integration succeed? Here, different target groups must be distinguished, emphasized Saric. Underage refugees who come without family are one of them. A starting point for successful integration could be that they come into stable family environments in Austria, where they feel appreciated. Society has a responsibility towards them and cannot simply leave them alone. Because with possibly traumatizing refugee experiences and socialization breaks, but without knowledge of the values here, they will not behave according to our expectations. How this could look concretely: psychosocial support, mentors, or integration guides, suggested the expert.

Integration Expert: "Five Past Twelve" for Government's Integration Program

The topic is also on the government's agenda. On Wednesday, it presented the first details of the planned mandatory integration program. It is to include, among other things, stricter German courses and basic rule courses. For Saric, a member of the government's independent expert council for integration, the announced package is urgently necessary. "It is really five past twelve to create these offers in Austria." Excluding someone based on religion is not right in terms of human rights or morality, she said. "But we can develop our rules, which must be adhered to and apply to everyone." People who come to Austria can question these rules. "But tailoring them to their own standards, I find presumptuous," emphasized Saric. The integration measures are needed so that people from different cultural backgrounds and different religions can live together in Austria without major difficulties.

(APA/Red)

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