Holyrood Committee meet with young people in Edinburgh over concerns of growing youth violence

The Committee have been considering Petition PE1947: Address Scotland’s culture of youth violence which “calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to address the disturbing culture of youth violence in Scotland.”

As part of their evidence gathering, the Committee agreed to engage directly with individuals, families and communities affected by youth violence.

Visiting 6VT, the Committee joined a drop-in session with the Cairn Service which offers support to children and young People, aged 10-25 from the Edinburgh area, who been victims or witnesses of crime.

During the visit the Committee met with 6VT CEO, Dot Horne, Operations Manager, Fiona Horne and young people to discuss the impact of youth violence, the role that social media plays in fuelling this and how safe people feel in their communities.

Commenting after the visit, Committee Convener, Jackson Carlaw MSP said:

“The Committee agreed that hearing first-hand from those who have been impacted by the issues raised in the petition was essential to our considerations and any recommendations we may make to the Scottish Government.

“Visiting 6VT in Edinburgh has provided us with the opportunity to directly engage with young people affected by youth violence and hear about the changes they want to see to make their communities feel safer.

“By continuing to engage with communities and organisations involved in tackling youth violence, we hope to gain deeper insights into the challenges faced and to be able to identify appropriate actions for Government to take in order to tackle the key issues.”