The End of Innocence in Venezuela

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Through the chilling testimonies of two ex-gang members and one school teacher, Margarita Rodriguez of the BBC World Service explores how criminal gangs in Venezuela use children and teenagers as young as 10 years old to fight their wars. Some kids are attracted by what gangs offer them: security, friendships, respect, motorbikes, women, and guns. They can play different roles, as lookouts in a particular area to warn the rest of the group when the police are coming; as mules carrying drugs, or as helpers during gun battles. Carlos, Alberto and Gloria give us a honest and heart-breaking accounts of what they have lived and what they have seen in their own communities in Caracas, the capital, one of the world's most violent cities. Alberto comes to meet us in a wheelchair. His past is full of pain. Venezuela has recently had to cope with the highest inflation rate in the world and an economic crisis that Venezuelans experience everyday with food and medicine shortages. Although Venezuela has made huge strides over the last 50 years in reducing infant mortality, many of those lives saved are being lost as teenagers die on the street. They have become victims and perpetrators at the same time. As Carlos says: “I never had any fear because it's like being a virgin, I compare it to virginity. The first time you steal, you're nervous, but after you do it you're going to want to keep on doing it because you're no longer afraid.” (Image: Illustration of handcuffs, children and bullets. Credit: Kako Abraham/BBC Mundo)