Italy Is One Of Europe's Wealthiest Countries....So Why Do They Have So Much Gang Problems???

Show all answers

merimichi18

Hello I'm Italian, I'm 16 years old and i live in Naples (I think you know that it is a city on Mediterraneo).... I think that Italy has the same problems of other countries...You can read only the bed things, the problems...mafia camorra exetera...
I love Italy...our arts, our food, our sea...
and i hope you will go to Italy...(i'm going to London next week,I think england is wonderful) to understand that the truth is another...problems are present but in standard...

*I'm sorry for grammatical mistakes!I hope i'll speak better English.Later...

XRO

Just wanted to respond to ProudAmerican: I lived in Italy for two years and totally disagree with you!!! You are an idiot and it is too bad that you are too dumb to enjoy such an amazing country so rich in history and culture!!

It is just as advanced as our society. Have you ever heard of Gucci, Ferrari or Mazzerati? It was a wonderful experience to live over there and I cherish every memory! There must be something wrong with you if you can't adapt!

eddie f13

lets see America is one of the Wealthiest Countries in the world...Gangs,, college shooting, city's like Philly 400+ murders a year, homeless, baby's in trash can....need i go on

Cycwynner

Italy’s image is defined by the imaginative reports of my Press colleagues. The actual crime rate (see link below) is one of the lowest in Europe (1,23) and falling. Other European countries have much higher rates (Finland 2,75 Sweden 2,39, UK 2,03 France 1,65 Spain 1,25), only Germany seems to fair better (0,98). Even petty crime is lower in Italy. On the other hand all these countries have average Social protection index rates for Europe (27,9), whilst Italy’s is lower (26,1). More effective ? So why the bad press? Bad journalism? No, just more sensational and, what is to the point, “organized crime gangs". Italy has a long tradition for “gangs” like the mafia, camorra and drangheta, born as a typical South Italian “self defence” phenomena, eons ago, they are now entrenched in society and have spread all over, even overseas. Italy’s Crime enforcement and National Security is one of the best in the World (other sources say so), especially the Military led Nat.Sec. units Carabinieri and the country should have a better image. But that takes time and fairer Journalism.
Italy is definitely still amongst the wealthiest, but also one of the safest. "Poor" is a relative word, I've travelled the World and seen real poverty, but not in Italy and certainly not enough to justfy crime. The recent wave of illegals has definitely made things more critical, but still manageable (I'm in Nat.Sec. myself), believe me, I'm at the source.
Don't believe all you read. Just check statistics.

ps I’m simply flabbergasted at the “declarations of poverty” mentioned here. Italy is 21st with $ 31.791 per capita (Int. Monetary Fund 2007), which show a World average of less than $10.000. No Italian Region is at these levels. Apulia (Puglia) a lovely South Italian region (the "heel") “produced” € 16.504 in 2006 (same as Portugal and Slovenia, more than Malta and Greece), against the Italian average of € 25.031. There are over 100 countries with less than € 1.000 per capita a year and dozens of really poor who produce around € 200-300.
Of course the Italian South “could produce more” (that’s what GNP means), and something should be done about it, starting from local efforts, but no Italian region is “poor” and none are "repressed by crime", even though the South is hard pressed by the gangs I mentioned..

ps Eddie's right, the USA is at 5,9, still a paradise compared to Brasil's 25,0 and Albania's 88,4. - remember Italy ? 1,2.

mancspag

Hi, I'm Italian and I am currently living in London.
Italy is not poor,compared to other countries in the World.
I can understand Italian people when they complain about poverty, because since the Euro had been introduced in 2002, prices went up, while the salaries didn't. It's worse for young graduates, because they cannot find good jobs as young graduates here.
Apart from this, I would like you to answer why there are so many gangs- especially the so called "Baby Gangs" -in the UK, which is one of the richest countries in the World.
I think it does not really depend on one country's wealth, but on the fact that in some areas there are many poor people, and for some of these people the only way to make money is to take part in illegal businesses.
If you are asking about Mafia etc, these kind of organizations started to gain power in the 19th century, when the south was poor and the unification brought many problems. They continued to gain power because the politicians did not care about the conditions of poor people in the south and these gangs were also a kind of "police" that operated in those areas, becoming part of the society.

siena

It depends!
One thing of their gang-problems is that just special parts of Italy are rich, and some parts are very poor, these have a lot gang problems
The other problems is that Italy has a problem with people who gets to Italy illegally from other poor countries and making up gangs

Nutini P

ciao
i think like you
Italy have a lot of mafia organizations(Camorra...)
this is a part in their tradition, a group in Sicilia named 'Sicilian criminal secret society' which first developed in the mid-19th century.
In Italy a lagre number of citizen not only have to pay tax but also must to settle their 'protection money' that Italian call '...'(sorry i don't know)
In south, the government had so many 'mop up', after that they had a few success , so many members and some bosses to been under arrest.

Marina

I'm Italian. The world is always the same, everywhere you go. The gang problems are in everywhere. The immigration is one of the problem for the gang problem, but is not the only one. Mafia, camorra and 'drangheta are the biggest problems, that's true. But we are also people who work very hardly. Unfortunately dishonest people make more news of honest people, and these make news. The honest persons do not make news on the newspaper. Therefore the newspapers arrive also to the foreign country and the other countries think that Italy has gang problems.
Not all Italian are rich. Many persons do not earn moneies necessary in order to arrive to the end of the month. The medium salaries of an Italian person is of 1,200 euro. There is the mutuum to pay to the bank (800 euros every month approximately) or a rent for the house to pay (to Rome 700/800 euro to the month). With 400 euro it must pay the light, the gas, the telephone, the food, the dressed ones, etc. This is the rich Italy?
I'm Sorry for mistakes.

Bud ha

With respect, I think the truth is more important than your reality.
(If you click on this person's avatar you will understand.)

Most people in Italy have a problem with the cost of living and it does not look good for the future. The gangs have always been a problem but the police have been making a lot of arrests in last two years so there is hope for the future.

Meghistos

I am wrong with Bella Joe. Italy is one of the richiest country in the world: in fact, Italy is a G7 member!

.Laura

What?
i would not compare Italy for example to...uk
is much much much much....SAFER...!
Believe me or not is not the place with more crime we havent got all the stab and murders problems you got and we havent got the problem of riots outside the clubs plus i know in England some place you dont know if you survive walking there...drugs and chavs everywhere that scare you...mass murders like in the Usa
so you are totally wrong....and a moron as well...
if you are talking about mafia and C....is not only in Italy and it doesn't affect the normal life...and is not everywhere here, not in the south either...
you should INFORM yourself more before you speak...
i would be more afraid to walk in the nation you live....all the way!

Eliz

Italy is one of the EEC countries but not the most wealthy! There is still great difference between north and south, and most ot the gangs are in the disadvantaged south.

IL BESCIAMELLONE

A Surya ma pensa a tutti i problemi che avete voi indiani coi musulmani, fidati è meglio.

Lindajanice

The gangs boost the GDP

Ely

Hi! I'm Italian and 32. Ours is a very strange country. Here everything is put aside in its substance and people usually care about the shape of things, how they look, what people think, and in this case what foreigners think. We have serious problems, very serious. We often don't have enough money to get to the end of the month but most people have the latest cell phone on the market. Did I make myself clear?
You think we are rich because our politicians want you to think so to keep their dirtiness down, but we are not.
And gang problems are due to the fact that people are poor (mainly in the south) and that they are scared beacause the Public Administration doesn't do enough to teach them and protect them. They get money from gangs (mafia, 'ndrangheta and so on) so why change?
I'm not saying that there are only bad things here, there are so many good people, trying to fight their way out, but they (we) are too weak to make it on our own.

L L

Italy is a wealthy country, but the people living here do not have the wealth. There is a great divide between the rich and poor, the north and south. The gereral wages here are low compared with the cost of living.

Foreigners think we are a country of wealthy people, and once ago we were...however don't be fooled by appearance. We - the people - are not rich. Ever since the Euro came in the economy has changed. Things have to change or else Italy will fall into recession.

You mentioned gang problems, well every country has gangs - over here the gangs are more 'famous' and well known internationally thanks to movies like the godfather. Each country has the mafia, ours has just been made into a (great) movie.
(well these are my thoughts, I live there however am no expert.)

bella joe

I'm italian and I can assure that Italy isn't wealthy...the largest part of Italians aren't rich and the policy makers are the only rich..Italy has a lot of debts and a lot of economical problems...please, before havin' silly questions, read uor papers

lion of judah

italy wealthy???? puglia the province which forms the heal of italy is one of the poorest regions in europe...

the south of italy continues to suffer from under investment and mafia interference.. i've never heard of a gang problem either?

things will only get worse for the south. if il cavaliere makes it in in the next election with la lega nord hanging onto his shirt tails the south is even further sunk....

paulsuperking

they think they are tough, but why then do there soldiers run faster backwards than forward

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: