VIOLENCE BETWEEN YOUNG PEOPLE IN NIGHT-TIME LEISURE ZONES

Some types of risk behaviour associated with juvenile leisure activities (taking
drugs, road traffic accidents, unprotected sexual practices, etc.) have been
analysed fairly frequently from scientific and institutional perspectives alike.
Violence that occurs during such behaviour may contribute towards creating considerable
doses of social concern, but it has actually been subject to little study, particularly
from a qualitative point of view, which would enable its structure and underlying
reasons to be understood, not just its scope.

This publication offers the results of a European research project (involving
researchers from six countries - Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and
the United Kingdom) on violence amongst juveniles in night-time leisure areas,
using a comparative and qualitative method.

The results of the investigation show that the analysis of conflicts and violence
occurring in these areas cannot be considered separately from the growth of
the leisure economy in Europe that started in the second half of the nineties.

This project has been financially supported by the European Union Daphne
II programme.