An investigation on the effects of youth unemployment on increased crime in Lusaka district of Zambia: a case study of Chibolya compound.
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Date
2024
Authors
Banguna, Barbara Zyambo
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
This study explored how Zambia's high youth unemployment rate affected the rising crime rate of Lusaka Province's Chibolya Compound in Lusaka District. The research employed a case study design. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using structured and semistructured questionnaires. The secondary goals were to assess the major causes of youth unemployment on increased crime in Chibolya Compound, discover the impact of unemployment among youths in Chibolya Compound, understand how these youths survive without employment, and identify government programs that could mitigate youth unemployment. Sixty (60) purposefully chosen adolescents were given questionnaires and guides with which to gather data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Microsoft Word, and Excel were used for analysis. This study was motivated by the realization that until the root causes of the high unemployment rate for youth were found, no meaningful solution to this issue can be implemented. The unemployed adolescents participated in the study's survey because we believed that they were in a better position to provide important primary
data because they were the ones who knew their circumstances and the reasons behind them the best. The findings indicated that economic recession, a lack of life skills, and little exposure to the job market were the major contributory factors to youth unemployment in the district of
Lusaka. Other indicated causes include a lack of opportunities to access some industries, a lack of skills, low education levels, corruption and nepotism, and low entrepreneurship levels combined with financial challenges. However, this results in criminal activities, prostitution, excessive alcohol consumption, and poverty due to low or no income. To address the challenge of high unemployment among youths, the country must first attend to these causes. This study recommended that to improve the livelihoods of Kanyama's youths, they should be given priority when there are employment opportunities within their communities, such as road or drainage construction. Youths would also address underlying cause of unemployment by
building affordable schools at all levels and ensuring that life skills and high-quality education are provided. The government should create jobs to reduce the consequences of high youth unemployment. Additionally, the government and all stakeholders should confront this matter before it degenerates into an uncontrollable situation. This study also recommended encouraging youths to stop selling cannabis and form cooperatives to access Community Development Fund (CDF) to venture into business. The study also recommends that awareness campaigns about the National Youth policy should be occur.
Description
Thesis of Master of Business Administration (MBA) .