Latina Teenagers: Victimization, Identity, and Fear of Crime

Clearly, these Latina teenagers' words express in different manners their reaction to the environment in which they live: they are afraid, scared, angry, mad, worried, or even "experienced." This last expression is interesting, because it reflects the reality in which some of these teenagers live. Many of them have personally been victims of crimes or have witnessed crimes at a very early age. Rosa, for example, expresses the frustration of living in a high-crime-rate area and facing the possibility of being a crime victim every time "you get to step out of your house." Her words manifest the expectation something is going to happen to her or to her family. Yet, instead of naming a specific crime, Rosa says that she knows that eventually "it" will happen. Therefore, she is "always trying to prepare herself." When questioned about what "it" might be, Rosa explains: "You know, that one person in my family can get hurt or -- I am even afraid to say it -- killed." Over half of the participants in the study said that they are more worried or afraid for others than for themselves. Many used phrases similar to this one: "I don't worry about myself, but I worry about my family." Altruistic fears (Warr, 1992) directed toward their family members were even more commonly reported than fears for themselves. For example, Gladys, a 17-year-old teenager who lives in Brooklyn, said, "I live in fear that something can happen to my little baby." Others also shared their concerns about other female figures: their mothers, grandmothers, and sisters. Maria, a 19-year-old Latina, said that she often worries about her mother: "You know, she works during the nights and she has to come home and take the subway late. I can't sleep until she gets home." Elba, another participant in the same discussion group, reported being afraid for her little niece and nephew. "You hear so many stories," she said, "about children being kidnapped. That makes me worry." Contrary to the public perception, more children are abducted by a family member or by an acquaintance than by a stranger (Hotaling and Finkelhor, 1990); nevertheless, several women expressed fear of having their kids taken away by a stranger. As Marianne Hester (1992: 27-39) pointed out, "personal relations," at home or on the streets, are "extremely crucial areas for acting out and maintaining male dominance." They contribute to producing and reproducing an unequal gender system where men are at the top and women are at the bottom.