Gang Girls: Agency, Sexual Identity and Victimisation ‘On Road’

Abstract

This chapter addresses the issue of sexual violence experienced by ‘gang associated’ girls and young women. Research conducted in the UK suggests that gang-related sexual violence is distinctive with its own set of characteristics and motivations. Whilst not disputing that ‘gang members’ sexually abuse girls and young women, it is argued here that the sexual violence experienced by associated females is not reducible to the ‘gang’ and that a more fruitful approach to understanding the violence enacted against them involves an exploration of the gendered dynamic of youthful social interactions more broadly.