Beating of schoolgirl in Helsinki indicates that teenagers’ life is becoming increasingly aggressive
Dozens of youths watched the assault taking place
The Helsinki Police Department are investigating a severe beating case in the Viikki district of the Finnish capital.
On Friday ten days ago, a 14-year-old girl, a pupil at the Latokartano school, was beaten in front of the Viikki Church by another girl whom the victim did not know.
Two weeks prior to this incident, some bullies had followed the same girl when she left school and went home. They assaulted her and trashed her home.
Satu Honkala, the principal of the Latokartano school, says that these youths are restless and rootless, while they have to find their place at school and among their friends.
”When it comes to girls, even a trivial matter can be a sufficient cause for a battery, once some teenagers have decided to beat somebody up”, says Sanna Peltola, the chair of the Viikki association.
In new districts like Viikki, not many of the youths were born in the area. They lack interlayer social relations which are customary in older communities.
”In a new district, youths have a need to become part of the community. They want to be involved whenever something happens”, principal Honkala says.
Professor of urban sociology Matti Kortteinen from the University of Helsinki, regards the Viikki assault as a similar new type of aggressiveness as the recent school shootings.
”A seemingly well-off community can be inwardly cruel. What is new and gives us something to think about is the fact that the beating involved so many people”, Kortteinen notes.
At school it is increasingly difficult for teachers to see whether or not bullying occurs, as the number of fixed classes is declining constantly, and the protection of personal data stipulated by an Act prevents teachers from speaking about pupils.
Another aspect is that the district does not offer teenagers any permanent premises where they could come together, says Peltola.
On Sunday Helsingin Sanomat met the twice beaten girl and a friend of hers in Latokartano. The friend said that it was no school bullying case. The victim is not bullied at school, and she has a lot more friends than the assailants have, she added.
Two 16-year-old boys also told Helsingin Sanomat that the assault was a cowardly act and grown-ups should do something about it. They promised to appear as witnesses in court against the assailants if they are called.
The victim’s friends believed that the true reason for the assault was envy. In other words the girl was beaten as she is beautiful and has a lot of money. They also said that it is not true that the girl had ever insulted her assailants.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 14.12.2009 - TODAY |
 Beating of schoolgirl in Helsinki indicates that teenagers’ life is becoming increasingly aggressive |
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