[INTERVIEW] Former UK gang member shares hard-learned lessons to prevent youth violence

Qadar Stewart, the author of "London and Dragons," a memoir of his troubled youth, leans on a wall with his arms folded in this recent photo taken in the U.K.'s capital. Courtesy of Qadar Stewart

'London and Dragons' author calls for coordinated community-level efforts to fight school bullying, drug abuse among teens

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The United Kingdom has been wrestling with soaring youth violence and gangs since the global outbreak of coronavirus.

In 2021, more than 20 young people were killed in the U.K. capital, making it the worst year of teenage killings since 2008. The pandemic-driven social isolation and the worsening mental health of many Britons have been pointed out by experts as some of the reasons behind the rise of youth and gang-related crimes after the pandemic.

While watching and reading news about the rise of youth violence, Qadar Stewart, 42, began to reflect on his dark past.

There were definitely parallels between him and the juvenile delinquents he saw on TV.

Stewart was abused at home, a bully in school and a member of a prominent London gang. Like other members of the gang, he took drugs when he was a teenager.

"My first experience with drug abuse was at the age of 13 when I smoked cannabis and drank alcohol along with my friends," he said in a recent email interview with The Korea Times. "It was seen as a traditional recreational drug. This behavior carried on through to my early 20s."

Inside the gang he joined, he said he witnessed several other members taking LSD and severely abusing addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin.

Later on, he left the gang and has since started a new life through his own efforts. "Over the years I limited my use of drugs once I had left the gang," he said.

In the U.K., the definition of a gang is slightly different from how it is perceived in Korea. Gang is a catch-all word referring to a group of boys involved in minor crimes, stealing phones, selling drugs or even just neighborhood kids hanging around in the street as they had nothing to do, rather than organized crime groups that are involved in the trafficking of drugs or people.

Stewart's rebellious teenage years allowed him to easily relate to the troubled teens who made the news headlines for their delinquent behavior. Stewart heard his inner voice encouraging him do to something to help the children.

He was motivated to write a memoir so as to share his hard-learned lessons with teens, their parents and policymakers to raise awareness of youth violence and its deadly consequences and ultimately to steer the nation to seek effective solutions to the problem.

His book, titled "London and Dragons," was published last year.

"My aim was to reach a wider audience and to showcase to them that drugs and gang violence needed to be addressed by communities," he said. "My wish is that my book educates and provides a real account that teens can relate to."

Cover of "London and Dragons" by Qadar Stewart

"London and Dragons" is the author's reflection on his violent teenage years. In the straightforward and raw account, he narrates his childhood, how he came to be involved in a gang and the bad things he and other gang members did to others.

The book is the former gang member's belated confession of those crimes he committed without fully knowing about their consequences and an expression of the remorse and regrets he now feels. It is also his public apology to the victims.

Through his testimonies about his troubled past, Stewart encourages British teenagers not to make the mistakes he made.

Although written mostly for British readers, "London and Dragons" resonates with Korean teens, parents and policymakers, as juvenile delinquency is a common policy problem the two countries are dealing with.

In Korea, bullying and youth violence have become social problems, which, from time to time, lead to tragedy for teenage victims.

Drug abuse among teens has recently emerged as a fresh problem for Korea's policymakers due to the sharp increase in drug offenses committed over the past five years.

Stewart said shared and unified support for teens struggling with drug-related disorders is essential to prevent juvenile delinquency.

He emphasized that adults need to understand why young people use and abuse drugs.

He said there are various factors that trigger teens to abuse drugs. They do drugs to experiment, socialize, or form bonds with friends and some take drugs to be accepted by their peer group, according to him. Therefore, the U.K. author said that policymakers, parents and schools need to do their respective parts and team up, if necessary, to prevent them from having access to drugs or joining gangs.

Stewart said the entire community needs to work together to protect children from crimes and help juvenile offenders seek new lives.

"Many children suffer from childhood neglect, trauma, peer pressure, a lack of parental support, boredom, low self-esteem and poverty to name just a few," he said, noting that preventing young people from joining gangs and getting into drugs is a top priority.

"Policymakers should ensure relevant curriculums are put in place to help keep teens in schools to gain the tools to deal with this aspect of life," he said.