Minors, in Catania there is a mafia alarm: affiliates already from a young age and roam the city armed.

The mafia also recruits children. This is not an analysis: it is a procedural and investigative fact. In Catania, there are kids who are affiliated with mafia clans. A few days ago, a disturbing fact emerged from a study on juvenile crime conducted by Save The Children: Catania has the highest number of reports and arrests for mafia association involving minors in Italy.

At the national level, in the first half of 2025, there were 46 minors (compared to 49 for the entire year of 2024) accused of belonging to a mafia family. Of these 46 kids, 15 are from Catania. Following at a distance is Naples with 6 minors. This is despite the fact that the Neapolitan city is the capital of the “children's gang.” However, this concerning picture has gone largely unnoticed. Without reactions. Without statements. The snapshot from the first six months of last year is completed with data on other crimes involving those under 18: 3 for extortion, 30 for personal injury, 2 for threats, 9 for carrying weapons, 9 for robberies.

The analysis by Save The Children is titled “Dis(armed). An investigation into the spread of youth violence, between perception and reality”. The picture that emerges from the investigation, which actually touches on Sicily, is fragmented: "on one hand, it captures the changes in the intensity and methods of violence committed by adolescents, alone or in groups, on the other hand, it signals the increase in the prolonged stay of minors in the juvenile justice system, also following the implementation of the Caivano Decree".

The report indicates a rise in robberies, brawls, and personal injuries at the national level, "with a brutality that is 'apparently senseless' which hides widespread emotional fragility and a progressive emotional emptiness. Although violence today appears increasingly armed, with the use of guns, knives, and improvised weapons, adolescents are increasingly 'disarmed' (hence the title) in the face of new psychological and relational fragilities. Furthermore, there is concern about the increase in 2025 of minors reported or arrested for mafia association in certain areas".

According to Save The Children, "criminal affiliation often arises from educational poverty: in the voids of opportunity, illegality offers fragile kids belonging and protection. Without alternatives, often forced into choices that intersect with the criminal activities of their families and complex relational and social contexts, in areas lacking opportunities and services, attracted by dynamics of power, money, and social recognition, minors come into contact with weapons at an early age to assert themselves within the group or neighborhood. For kids involved in organized crime contexts, the difficulty of interrupting delinquent behavior and, therefore, the likelihood of committing more than one crime is 3.48 times higher - they write in the investigation - compared to peers who are not involved in these contexts".

In Catania, it was discovered some time ago that a scion of the Nizza family, at just 15 years old, was leading a group of thugs who terrorized the dance floors of nightclubs. Modified toy guns and brass knuckles are the most common weapons among young people in Catania. And then there is the shadow of crack that is truly frightening. "Many adolescents report that carrying weapons can make them feel more protected or respected, but at the same time, this dynamic risks fueling what the Report defines as a 'short circuit of fear': fear leads to the need to defend oneself, to instill fear, to arm oneself, exposing oneself to the risk of hurting or being hurt".

"At least instilling fear means being seen,” said a boy interviewed in the investigation.

This sentiment is fully shared by Elisa Maiorca, an educator at the Cooperativa Prospettiva, which has been trying to address educational poverty, the source of youth deviance, for 20 years. "These data concern us and remind us that we must give a future back to these kids who only ask to be seen and to express themselves,” she comments. The magic formula does not exist, but integrated projects among institutions, associations, parishes, community centers, and families are certainly needed. "In Catania, something has been moving for some time," explains Elisa. The secret (perhaps) is to intercept kids in their daily lives by attracting them by speaking their own language. Community Educating Hub, born from the synergy with the municipal social services, promotes street educational activities in all neighborhoods of the city - from San Cristoforo to Librino - which allows giving young people new perspectives and offering alternatives. And above all, it is necessary to teach that it is also possible for them to dream.