Exploring Girls & Sexual

Violence in Gangs
By sara myers
 Lesson Objectives

 By the end of this session you will:

1. Explain the different causes of crime in young people and gangs in a

gang related environment
2. Assess outside influences on individual behaviour.
3. Evaluate the different consequences of crime in a gang-related
environment (Remember your marginalisation module for 1-3)
4. Explain he different reasons that girls join gangs.
5. Assess roles that girls play in gangs.
6. Review the implications for girls in gangs.
7. Female sexual exploitation in gangs.
 Girls and Gangs
In pairs discuss your thoughts around the subject of girls
& gangs and consider:

1. What they look like (structure)

2. What roles do they play in the gang. The benefit of
having girls in gangs
 Definition of Terms
 Set-up chick: a "set-up chick” is another woman who sets up a girl
or woman to be sexually violated, stabbed by other members of the
gang or other girls & rivals the gang.
 Honey trap chick: a ‘honey trap chick is woman who is used by the
gang to set up a rival gang member (opps/pagan)
 Pass-a-round: Refers to girls/women that are known to be "willing"
to have sex readily and who are passed from a man to another,
usually his friend, to have sex with after the former is done, or bored
with her.
 Batterydolly: A girl or woman who "allows" boys to have sex with
her one after the other. In other words, she gets “gang banged” or
“batteried”.
 Piece/Beat: Refers to sexual intercourse
 Run battery: Refers to a group of men having sex with a
girl/woman straight after each other.
 What roles do girls play in gangs?

 Gangster girls: young women who adopt male personas within

gangs.
 Female family members of gang members i.e. sisters and
cousins.
 Wifey's/girlfriends: young women in a recognised relationship
with gang-involved males.
 Baby-mothers: young women who have children with gang-
involved males.
 Links: young women who are associated through ‘casual’ sex with
one or more members of the gang.
 Group Discussion

What are the motivators or stimulus for girls getting themselves involved in
gangs?
 Reflecting back on term “Gang”?

Do the definitions available include girls and

or women?
 HOME OFFICE DEFINITION
“ A relatively durable, predominantly street based group of
young people who”:
1. See themselves (and are seen by others) as a discernible
group
2. Engage in a range of criminal activity and violence
3. Lay claim over territory
4. Have some form of identifying structural feature and
5. Are in conflict with other, similar, ‘gangs’
 But does the definition include..

 Sex gangs & grooming syndicates such as in

Rotherham
 Organized sex trafficking gangs
Think about media reporting and language used
to describe the different gangs such ‘Asian sex
gangs and Violent street gangs’.
 Huddersfield Grooming Gang https://
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/hudders
field-grooming-gang-members-jailed-rape-girls-
 Reflection: ‘Honeytrap killer’ who
led boyfriend, 16, to death in 2009
 Honey Trap Girl
Samantha Joseph
 Came from another country – Trindad
 15 yrs old at the time of the incident
 Besotted with older boyfriend (17-18yrs)
 Willing to do anything for him
 Heavily under his influence after he dumped her.

10 minutes
Reflection: Gangster girl ‘Nequela
Whittaker’ aka Street Girl.
 Street Girl

Born in July 1988, Brixton, South West London. Myatts Field Estate
youngest of three siblings
Dad a substance misuser since the 80’s (crack smoker)
In 1993, moved to Clapham Common
High achiever during reception & primary school 1998/99, I attended Italia
Conti Drama School
1999, Started secondary school, St Mary’s High School, West Croydon
1999, 11 yo sexual assaulted (raped) by a peer
2000, 12 yo started getting involved in stealing, joy-riding, selling weed
2001/02, 13-14 yo started selling crack as a small business
2002/03, 14-15 yo started selling heroin and going OT (outta town)

10 minutes
 Activity
Group A discuss the factors that surrounded this case and
consider the motivations (drivers) that caused Samantha to set
up her boyfriend.
https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/brutal-honey-trap-mur
der-teenage-16147397

Group B discuss the factors of ‘Street Girl’ and consider the

motivations (drivers) that caused her to be/form a gang.
https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2018/11/216010/women-gang
s-gun-knife-crime
Consider concepts such as fear, shame, guilt.

10 minutes
 Sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation is an act or acts committed through non-consensual abuse or exploitation of
another person’s sexuality for the purpose of sexual gratification, financial gain, personal benefit
or advantage, or any other non-legitimate purpose.
The act or acts of sexual exploitation are prohibited even though the behaviour does not
constitute one of the other sexual misconduct offenses.
Examples of sexual exploitation include:
• Observing another individual’s nudity or sexual activity or allowing another to observe
consensual sexual activity without the knowledge and consent of all parties involved
• Non-consensual streaming of images, photography, video, or audio recording of sexual activity
or nudity, or distribution of such without the knowledge and consent of all parties involved
• Prostituting another individual
• Exposing another’s genitals in non-consensual circumstances
• Knowingly exposing another individual to a sexually transmitted disease or virus without that
individual’s knowledge
• Inducing incapacitation for the purpose of making another person vulnerable to non-consensual
sexual activity.
How does sexual exploitation link to young
people within a gang context?
 What is Rape Culture?

Rape culture is a term used to define a

culture whereby sexual abuse is condoned
and normalised through societal
attitudes, images and practices. Rape
Culture can also lead to victim blaming,
which is when responsibility and blame is
placed on the survivor of rape instead of the
perpetrator.
 Slut-Shaming
The word “slut” usually to a girl/woman who has had or
perceived to have had many sexual partners. It is a sexist slur
used to degrade girls/women and originates from rape
culture.
“Slut” could be replaced with:
 Sket, Skettle, Sketz
 Bed Wench
 Whore
 Hoe
 T.H.O.T (That Hoe Over There)
 Rachet
 Slag, Slapper etc..
 The role of social media
Consider the points just made and discuss the potential impact
of media when looking at issues around sex and relationships
amongst young people?
 Impact of social media
 Can be used to record acts of sexual violence
 Can be used for revenge porn
 Can be used for extortion or cohesive control
 Can be used for grooming
 Impact of social media
 A 2019 Children’s Commissioner report estimates there are
27,000 children who are members of gangs, 60,000 who are
siblings of a gang member and 313,000 who know a gang
member in England alone.
 Some gangs can become involved in violence with rival gangs.
This violence can be initiated, aggravated and exhibited online
via social media. Gangs can also use social media to recruit new
members, and to facilitate criminal activity, for example,
organising the sale and movement of illegal drugs across the
country (also known as ‘county lines’), or provoking, planning or
recording violent attacks.
Resources & links
 RSVP - https://rsvporg.co.uk/
 Four Voices Film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUHd608
weBM&feature=youtu.be
 BBC 4 interview featuring Nequela Whittaker:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001tys
 County Lines recruiting girls:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009b47