Students Discuss Youth Crime Prevention with the OSCE Experts

On 30 September 2024, the OSCE Academy in Bishkek hosted a guest lecture on the theme of "Preventing Youth Engagement in Crime: OSCE’s Evidence-Based Approach." The event featured two sessions focusing on global and regional trends in youth crime prevention, with a particular emphasis on Central Asia.

The lecture opened with welcoming remarks by Dr. Pal Dunay, Interim Director of the OSCE Academy, and Mr. Ulukbek Abdubaliev, Associate Project Officer of OCEEA/OSCE Secretariat. Dr. Dunay drew the attention to the role of various security challenges in the life of a society and raised the question whether states behave neutrally or shape the agenda, emphasizing some security issues and putting others on the back-burner. There are arguments for both: 1. States may have better founded views on the security environment and therefore may provide leadership. 2. States may distort the security environment in order to divert the attention of the population to some threats and concerns and away from matters they do not want to address. It is wide-spread that states portray some external forces presenting a security challenge in order to unite the population behind the leadership (the so-called rally around the flag effect). This issue could also be pertinent in the context of Central Asia where many of the security risks are lastingly domestic or transnational rather than inter-state. The issue of crime, including the criminality of young individuals, should be considered in this context. The criminality of young individuals has to be assessed on the basis of facts, analyzed in light of the main tendencies and influencing factors in its evolution, and then contemplated in order to influence it by reducing criminal tendencies and find the most effective ways to prevent them.

The first session, led by Mr. Abdubaliev, focused on the OSCE’s approach to youth crime prevention. Through interactive discussions, participants explored different theories and strategies aimed at fostering a culture of lawfulness among young people. The session also highlighted how the OSCE promotes youth participation in shaping crime prevention policies, using education and awareness campaigns to strengthen youth adherence to the law.

The second session featured a presentation on Germany’s "Kurve Kriegen" initiative, delivered by Mr. Christopher Ursuleack, a criminologist from the Ministry of Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia. The initiative, which has proven effective in preventing at-risk youth from becoming involved in criminal activities, was showcased as a model of multi-stakeholder collaboration. The session emphasized the importance of addressing the social causes of crime and demonstrated how prevention strategies are more successful than repressive measures.
The guest lecture concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Pal Dunay, who expressed gratitude to the organizers, speakers, and participants, and reaffirmed the OSCE Academy’s commitment to promoting innovative approaches to youth crime prevention. Participants received certificates of attendance following the event.

This lecture was organized with the support of the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities

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