Dispatches - 1996

Every year up to two hundred and forty thousand old people suffer form crimes committed by children. Overwhelmingly these crimes take the form of harassment. The elderly are verbally abused, stoned in the street and have their windows smashed. Sometimes the harassment escalates into burglary or even murder. At least 12 old people have been killed by juveniles in the last 4 years. Dispatches contacted all of the main national agencies who care for the elderly and without exception they were all unaware of the extent of the problem. Old people all over Britain are suffering in silence afraid to leave their houses whilst children control the streets.

The program explores the extent to which United Nations officials and commanders in Bosnia put the safety of their troops ahead of their responsibility to the civilians in Srebrenica. Although Srebrenica was designated as a United Nations safe haven, the Serbian forces apparently massacred Bosnian Muslims after they captured the city in July, 1995.