In Melbourne’s west, residents say street violence has ‘come to their door’ – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Report on Youth Violence in Melton, Melbourne: An Analysis Through Sustainable Development Goals

I. Failure to Achieve SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

A. Escalation of Violent Crime and Homicide

• The suburb of Melton has become a hotspot for youth violence, directly contravening the goal of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.
• Statistical data indicates a severe local crisis:
  1. Five individuals aged 18 and under have been killed in knife-related violence in the past 2.5 years.
  2. This accounts for one-third of all child deaths from street knife crime in Victoria over the last decade.
• High-profile cases, such as the killing of Chol Achiek (12) and Dau Akueng (15), underscore the extreme nature of the violence and the failure to protect vulnerable populations.

B. Erosion of Community Safety and Institutional Trust

• Residents report a complete breakdown of personal and community safety, a core target of SDG 16.
• Incidents reported include:
  • Multiple attempted and successful home invasions, with one family experiencing an attack by 11 individuals armed with machetes and metal bars.
  • Families being forced to abandon their homes and relocate children to other states for safety.
  • A palpable sense of fear that prevents residents from feeling secure even within their own homes.
• Intimidation tactics by youth gangs undermine the justice system, as witnesses fear retaliation for cooperating with police, thereby impeding access to justice for all.

II. Shortcomings in SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

A. Inadequate Infrastructure and Services

• The City of Melton is documented as the fastest-growing council area in Australia, yet essential infrastructure and social support services have not scaled with population growth.
• This deficit directly challenges the objective of SDG 11 to make human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
• The Centre for Multicultural Youth reports that the current crisis is a result of years of poor access to necessary services and support systems for a rapidly expanding community.

B. Unsafe and Non-Inclusive Community Environments

• Crime statistics confirm the degradation of safety, with home invasions in Melton nearly tripling over five years.
• The environment is characterized by:
  1. Widespread fear among young people of being targeted in public spaces.
  2. A normalization of violence as a means of resolving conflict.
  3. Families actively seeking to leave the area, indicating the community is no longer perceived as a viable or safe place to live.

III. Socio-Economic Drivers Contravening SDG 1, 8, and 10

A. Economic Hardship and Inequality

• Economic pressures, linked to the rising cost of living (a challenge to SDG 1: No Poverty), are identified as a root cause of social breakdown.
• Parents are often required to work multiple jobs, reducing parental supervision and leaving children vulnerable to negative influences, which undermines SDG 8’s goal of decent work and family well-being.
• There is a significant over-representation of youth from multicultural and First Nations communities within the justice system, highlighting a failure to achieve SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

B. Social Disconnection and Lack of Opportunity

• Youth workers report that a primary driver for joining gangs is a search for belonging, stemming from disconnection within the family and community.
• The violence is fueled by inter-group rivalries and quests for notoriety, indicating a lack of positive and constructive pathways for young people.

IV. Negative Impacts on SDG 3 and 4: Health, Well-being, and Education

A. Deterioration of Mental and Physical Health

• The pervasive violence and fear have severe consequences for the community’s health and well-being, in opposition to the targets of SDG 3.
• Reported impacts include:
  • Chronic stress and anxiety, particularly among single mothers who fear for their children’s lives.
  • Disrupted sleep and daily functioning due to the constant threat of violence.
  • The ultimate negative health outcome: injury and loss of life among the community’s youth.

B. Barriers to Quality Education

• The climate of fear and instability creates significant barriers to achieving SDG 4: Quality Education.
• The educational environment is compromised when students fear for their safety. The fact that three of the young victims attended the same high school demonstrates the direct intrusion of violence into the educational sphere.
• Families relocating or sending children to other regions or countries directly interrupts their education and development.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • The article’s central theme is the breakdown of peace and safety due to youth gang violence in Melton. It details multiple instances of violent crime, including home invasions, assaults, and murder, directly challenging the goal of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies. The fear expressed by residents and the intimidation of witnesses highlight a weakening of justice and community safety.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • The article explicitly links the violence to failures in urban planning and service provision. It states that Melton’s “huge population boom hasn’t been properly supported with infrastructure or services.” This lack of support contributes to unsafe living conditions, where residents feel insecure in their homes and public spaces, forcing some to abandon their houses.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • The issues disproportionately affect vulnerable and multicultural communities. The article focuses on the experiences of the South Sudanese-Australian community and notes an “over-representation of young people from multicultural and first nations communities… in the youth justice system.” This points to systemic inequalities and a lack of inclusive support for these groups.

4. SDG 1: No Poverty

   • Socioeconomic pressures are identified as a root cause of the problem. A youth worker “believes the spike in violence has to do with the rising cost of living, parents having to pick up whatever work they can and children being left to their own devices.” This connects the violence to economic hardship that forces parents into difficult situations, leaving children vulnerable.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article is filled with examples that counter this target, such as “five young people… killed in knife violence,” “four attempted home invasions,” and assaults with “machetes and metal bars.”
   • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. The victims and perpetrators are children and young people. The murders of Chol Achiek (12) and Dau Akueng (15) are a stark example of the failure to protect children from extreme violence.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services. The article shows this target is not being met, as residents like Susan have “abandoned her Melton area home” due to fear, and another woman considers leaving because “not even the family home feels safe.”
   • Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces. The killing of two boys “when they got off a bus” and youths being drawn into conflict on “public transport” demonstrates that public spaces in the area are not safe.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. The article points to a lack of inclusion, highlighting the specific fears of “single mothers from the South Sudanese community” and the finding that there is a “huge over-representation of young people from multicultural and first nations communities… in the youth justice system.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicators for SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

   • For Target 16.1: The article provides specific data that can be used as an indicator of intentional homicide rates. It states, “five young people from the area — aged 18 and under — killed in knife violence in the past two and a half years.” It also notes that this accounts for “one third of the children killed in street knife crime in Victoria over the past 10 years.” Crime statistics are also mentioned as an indicator of physical violence: “Crime statistics show home invasions in Melton and neighbouring Wyndham have almost tripled over five years.”

2. Indicators for SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

   • For Target 11.1: While not a formal statistic, the article implies an indicator for inadequate/unsafe housing through narrative accounts. The fact that Susan “has abandoned her Melton area home,” another woman is “sleeping in her car with her kids,” and Mary is asking the “Department of Housing to move her family” are qualitative indicators of a failure to provide safe housing.

3. Indicators for SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

   • For Target 10.2: The article implies an indicator related to the justice system. The statement about the “huge over-representation of young people from multicultural and first nations communities… in the youth justice system” serves as a direct indicator of inequality and lack of inclusion within this demographic.

Summary of Findings

Source: abc.net.au