Violence by teenage girls...

Here's a problem that is seldom discussed - violence by teenage girls. This story is from CanWest:

Violence among teenage girls is as prevalent today as it was in 1997, when B.C. teenager Reena Virk was murdered, says the head of Victoria's police gang unit.

"I don't think it's changed for the better since Reena was killed," Sergeant Bob Martin says. "That was such a high-profile event where you would hope people would step back and realize this kind of behaviour is wrong. But it still there. It's an unfortunate reality."

Reena's death at the hands of a gang of mostly teenage girls shocked the community, and to a certain degree the country. But seven years and five months after the crime, with ringleader Kelly Ellard convicted on Tuesday of second-degree murder, experts say Canadians still have to be concerned when dealing with the issue of violence in teenage girls.

Sgt. Martin deals with it every day. One file on his desk concerns a 16-year-old girl who has been charged six times with assault, once with aggravated assaulted and once with assault with a weapon. Two of her girlfriends have also been charged several times with assault and aggravated assault.

"I've seen high levels of extreme violence," says Sgt. Martin. "Many incidents are unprovoked. There's some perceived slight and people are punched in the face right out of the blue.

"Is violence occurring among girls? Absolutely. Is it a cause of concern? Absolutely."

Skeptics say that youth crime has decreased; others say that we are ill-prepared to measure it properly - intimidation keep many people quiet.

UBC psychologist Marlene Moretti says, as a society, we tend to turn a blind eye to aggression in girls.

"People don't take it seriously. They say girls are catty. But sometimes it happens and things get out of control."