Violence by our girls increases
Violence by females is on the rise, prompting one school to introduce a program to teach teenage girls about the consequences of bullying. In 2006, police in Victoria were called to more than 3500 family violence incidents in which children were the perpetrators. One in three involved girls, mostly aged 12 to 17. Police also revealed that attacks by boys against their parents rose 19 per cent between 2003 and 2007, but attacks perpetrated by teenage girls grew 30 per cent in the same period. In a survey of 260 families, Mr Gallagher found a quarter of adolescents who perpetrate domestic violence were girls and the victims are usually their mothers. Teaching staff at a secondary school in Gippsland, Victoria, were so overwhelmed by the behaviour of a group of year 9 girls they have begun a program to teach them the consequences of their actions.
