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After his lived experience, Sosa believes a knife ban won’t stop young people from carrying weapons and crime. Instead he’s demanding more support and opportunities for the youth
A former victim of gang grooming is demanding urgent action to help young people, after a spate of fatal stabbings across the country.
Sosa Henkoma insisted a knife ban won’t solve knife crime, and “it’s about creating opportunities for young people rather than sitting down and shutting them down”. He understands first-hand how fear, lack of support and limited opportunities can push younger people toward a life of crime. Reflecting on his experience of gang grooming and abandonment, Sosa told the Mirror: “If a young person does not feel safe in their environment, they’re going to walk with knives.
“They’re going to keep doing what they’re doing. We need to reprogram their mindset. It’s creating opportunities for these young people rather than shutting them down.”
Henkoma believes a ban on knives will not stop the pandemic of knife crime. He added: “The honest truth about it is that you can ban everything but that does not stop nothing. You need to teach these people and literally create that environment where they feel safe.”
Four people have died from alleged knife crime this year already. As these numbers grow, efforts to fight the issue increase. Sosa, an advocate and mentor, works to address the root causes of youth violence and crime.
Through delivering training sessions and working on improving policies, Henkoma collaborates with the police and the home office. He regularly mentors youth referred by social services and probation officers driven by his belief that “If you want to make a change, you’ve got to become that change”.
Sosa’s journey into advocacy is truly personal, from the age of 11 years old he was groomed into a life of crime and gang culture and by 12 he was ‘gifted’ a gun and a bulletproof vest for his birthday, at the time he sought help however due to the lack of understanding of grooming and exploitation by social services, his cries for help were ignored.
It wasn’t until Sosa was in prison, when a trauma-informed organisation challenged him to see his experience differently, he realised he was exploited. The realisation of this, became his turning point.
Sosa hopes with his lived experience will spread awareness of what is going on, as well as a reminder that whatever environment you are in, you can achieve. “There is a way out of that lifestyle, I do interviews to show them you can have a voice.”
There were 244 deaths involving a knife or a sharp item in England and Wales in the year ending March 2024, with 84 of the victims under 25, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).. For the families of the victims, one question is left unanswered – how could this have been prevented? Every loss highlights the urgent need for systemic change to protect vulnerable children, to protect potential victims.
Sosa believes children are groomed because of lack of support and the pressure to earn money. He said: “We need to teach emotional intelligence and create pathways for young people to see the possibilities beyond their current circumstances. For me, it started by understanding the system, not just from my lived experience, but from an outside point of view.”
Sosa hopes that with efforts from himself and other initiatives, there is hope to create a better future and constantly reminds children “Your past doesn’t define who you are – it builds the strength you need to create your future, there is always a way out. I’ve been where you are and I want you to know there’s more than life.”