Global-Current Situation

The rest of the world is struggling with gangs, just as much as we are in America. We took an in depth look into three other countries around the world, Japan, Darfur, and Jamaica.

Jamaica-
The current situation of gangs in Jamaica is not too bad as compared to the U.S. The most powerful and deadly gangs in Jamaica now are also moving their operations into the U.S. This could be partly because many Jamaican gangs do not do buisness in Jamaica rather they just manufacture and acquire drugs there then move their lucrative products to the U.S. for sale. In the recent past however the gang problem escalated so high that residents of Kingston were forced to evacuate.
A Boston Globe article estimates that gangs in Central America are responsible for "...shaving regional gross domestic product by some 25 percent, according to the Inter-American Development Bank." Another reason the gang problem was so bad in Jamaica is because in the early 1980's the two major political parties in Jamaica, the Jamaican Labor Party (JLP) and the Peoples National Party (PNP), were using street gangs to influence the elections. The most well known gangs in Jamaica today include, The Shower Posse, Clans Massive, The Black Roses, and The President's Click.

Japan-
The current situation of gangs in much like that of the gang problems in America. A growing number of youth are becoming members of gangs, and the old ways of "traditional" style of gangs is beginning to become outdated. One recent news article tells of the brutal beating of an innocent man by juveniles. Most youth gangsters in Japan are a part of a biker gang, the most popular being, The Dragon.
However, the most well know gang in Japan is the Japanese Mafia, aka the Yakuza. Unlike their younger counterparts in crime, the Yakuza prefer to commit organized crime, not the violent crimes like the biker gangs. "Yakuza frequently engage in a uniquely Japanese form of extortion, known as sōkaiya. In essence, this is a specialized form of protection racket. Instead of harassing small businesses, the yakuza harasses a stockholders' meeting of a larger corporation." "They also engage in simple blackmail, obtaining incriminating or embarrassing information about a company's practices or leaders. Once the yakuza gain a foothold in these companies, they will work for them to protect the company from having such internal scandals exposed to the public. Some companies still include payoffs as part of their annual budget." "Yakuza are heavily involved in sex-related industries, smuggling pornography from Europe and America into Japan. They also control large prostitution rings throughout the country...the yakuza can buy unwanted girls for as little as $5,000 and put them to work in the mizu shōbai, which means 'water trade' and refers to the night entertainment business, in yakuza-controlled bars, nightclubs and restaurants." These quotes show the main buisness operations of the Yakuza today. The police do not take action against the Yakuza because many feel that they are running semi-legitimate organizations.
The Asian gangs like all gangs in the world are expanding operations outside of their home countries. A National Geographic article explains how many Asian gangs are moving into Africa to drive the killing of elephants for their prized ivory tusks, very highly valued items in Asia.

Darfur-
The most current gang problems in Darfur have escalated to what many are calling genocide. The Darfur conflict started between what was a gang called the Janjaweed and other rebel groups such as, the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement. This gang war has escalated into a full blown racial war, with the Janjaweed composed of mainly Arab nomad tribes, and the rival factions being mainly non-Arab tribes. The war between these groups has become so bad that the UN, US, and UK, and many more, have all poured resources into Darfur to try and end the violence. Below are two depictions of the Janjaweed.



The gang problem in all these nations, as well as in the U.S. have taken a major toll in all areas of society, especially the economic situations of these countries. Money is being poured into law enforcement, gang prevention, gang education, and so much more to prevent gang activities. Below is what you can do to help.