'I don’t have no blood on my hand': East London kids share their experiences of knife crime through poetry
| Date | 11 April 2021 |
| Published date | 11 April 2021 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
Staggeringly, more than a quarter of all knife and offensive weapon offences registered in 2020 have been attributed to people under the age of 18.
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The government data set, which looks at yearly sentencing for knife and offensive weapon offences in London, found that 987 teenagers between the age of 16-18, and 744 children in the age range of 10-15, had been convicted of knife offences last year.
In total, 6,457 instances of knife crime resulted in sentencing in the capital last year, with youth convictions amounting to a proportional share of 26.8 per cent.
And behind each one of these shocking statistics, an equally horrific story can be told.
'There's no blood on my hands'
For the children caught up in the violence, it can be difficult to escape.
But thanks to youth programs set up in referral units across London run by people like educator Christian Foley, students have been able to articulate their experiences in the form of poetry.
The 29-year-old works in a number of Hackney schools and across East London’s referral units, using creative arts driven practices to prevent vulnerable youths falling into lives of violence and crime.
His students verses give a raw and untarnished depiction of what is happening in their communities, touching on themes of desperation and inevitability.
In one heart-breaking poem, a student predicts their own death and hopes their children will be better off than them.
'Boys aren't taught about their feelings'
Christian is a staunch believer in the benefits of an educational approach to the dangers of knife crime.
His day to day job involves working to unlock children's creativity in an effort to help them understand and rationalise their situations.
This he believes, is key to preventing them from going down a dark path.
He explained: “When kids are kicked out of school, you need to find other avenues that are creative and that children are more likely to respond to and I think with poetry I’ve found it’s been quite successful.
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“It’s very unlikely for a child to be excluded if they don’t come from a difficult background.
"Often behaviour that gets you excluded is symptomatic of poverty and disenfranchisement, if you don’t have money or a...
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