Imagine fearing for your children's lives, not on a battlefield, but in your own home, in your own neighborhood. That's the terrifying reality facing many families in Melbourne's west, where a surge in youth gang violence is leaving residents living in constant fear. For some, street violence isn't just a headline; it's at their doorstep.
Susan (a pseudonym to protect her family) lives this nightmare every day. She admits she doesn't fully understand what her children are involved in, but one thing is crystal clear: a gang is targeting them. Her home, once a sanctuary, now feels like a potential crime scene. She recounts four attempted home invasions at her Melton residence, a suburb on Melbourne's western fringe. In one harrowing incident in 2024, Susan, a South Sudanese-Australian woman, and her daughter physically fought off attackers attempting to force their way through the front door in the dead of night. Earlier that year, while the family slept, a group of eleven individuals armed with machetes and metal bars shattered windows and doors, storming the property. Susan and her children managed to escape next door before the intruders could reach them, but not before their home was ransacked. Police confirmed this terrifying account.
And here's the chilling part: the "gang" responsible for this terror is comprised of children and young people, many under the age of 18. This is the brutal world of youth gangs in Melbourne, where petty disputes and rivalries are escalating into a cycle of retaliatory violence, fueling fear, and even turning deadly, drawing in entire families. Melton has emerged as a particularly volatile hotspot. A staggering five young people from the area, all 18 or younger, have been killed in knife attacks by other young people in the past two and a half years. That's a significant number. A recent coronial report reveals that one-third of all children killed in street knife crime in Victoria over the past decade hailed from the Melton area. Tragically, three of these victims attended the same Melton high school.
The most recent victims, Australian-Sudanese boys Chol Achiek, just 12, and Dau Akueng, 15, were murdered after getting off a bus on the evening of September 6th. Police described the crime as "one of the worst" they had ever seen. Chol is believed to be the youngest Victorian ever killed in street violence. Authorities have stated that neither child was involved in any gang activity. Eight individuals, aged 15 to 19, have been charged with their deaths. While Chol and Dau were of South Sudanese descent, their alleged attackers are not from the same background.
But here's where it gets controversial... The ABC has learned that this wasn't the first time someone in Chol's family had been targeted. Chol's father, Chuti Ngong, revealed that his elder son was severely assaulted by a group of offenders on Boxing Day of the previous year – nine months before Chol's murder. Was Chol's death a tragic coincidence, or was it connected to the earlier attack on his brother? This question remains unanswered and underscores the complex web of violence gripping the community.
"It's come to our door," Susan laments, expressing the fear shared by many. Believing her children could be next, she abandoned her Melton home and is now living with her daughter in a different area. She sent four of her teenage children to live with a relative in New South Wales, hoping to shield them from the violence. She recounts how her teenagers first incurred the wrath of another group of youths on public transport a few years ago, and the situation has spiraled out of control ever since. "There's been so much stress and anxiety because this has been happening, and it's come to our door," she says, her voice heavy with despair. "We don't see no life for us. Dau and Chol were innocent children. It's really hurt us a lot."
The ABC spoke with several single mothers from the South Sudanese community in Melton, all of whom are terrified for their children's safety. They seemed unsure about what their children are involved in, demonstrating the difficulty in understanding the complex social dynamics at play. A video shared with the ABC by Africause, an African-Australian organization, shows a Melton woman describing how she sleeps in her car with her children in different locations each night, fearing they will be hunted down in their own home. Another woman, Mary (also a pseudonym), recounted finding a group of more than ten teenagers loitering around her door when she went to put out the rubbish a few weeks after Dau and Chol were killed. They fled when she emerged. Mary doesn't believe her son is involved with gangs, but she knows he's frightened. He has stayed home for weeks, but remains silent about what's happening. "They don't talk… but you know they're feeling worried."
And this is the part most people miss... While home invasions in affluent eastern suburbs often dominate news cycles, the ongoing conflict in Melbourne's west often goes unnoticed. Crime statistics reveal that home invasions in Melton and neighboring Wyndham have almost tripled over five years, reaching levels comparable to inner suburbs like Bayside. A recent coronial finding highlighted that, for the year starting September 2022, the northern and western suburbs of Melbourne, including Melton, accounted for the largest proportion of violent offenses committed by youth gangs in the city, with an estimated 350 youth gang members. Since then, violent crime committed by young people across Victoria has continued to rise.
Much of this crime is driven by a desire for notoriety or financial gain. However, youth workers emphasize that rivalry between gangs and groups seeking to harm perceived rivals also plays a significant role. Using social media, court documents, and expert insights, the ABC has pieced together a narrative of conflict between two local gangs over the past two years, leading to numerous violent acts in the Melton area, including alleged killings and home invasions. Sources connected to youth justice indicate that the children involved come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, including Anglo, African, Pasifika, and Asian.
In one home invasion linked to this conflict last year, a group stormed the home of a rival gang member and allegedly held a gun to their father's head, while several children, including a one-year-old baby, were present. Some of the eight individuals accused of killing Chol and Dau are associated with one of the gangs, with one of their social media accounts continuing to post gang-related content even while they were in juvenile detention. Adding to the challenges faced by authorities is the intimidation of young people by these groups, discouraging them from speaking to or cooperating with police. A recent court hearing revealed how a young woman in Melton now fears for her life after being subjected to an extortion attempt after it came to light that she had given a statement to police about a crime.
"People are just angry now," says a 14-year-old at the main shopping center in Melton, reflecting the widespread fear that anyone could become a target after the murders of Chol and Dau. "It's just getting really bad here, it's getting out of hand. You don't know if you're going out if you're just gonna get stabbed or something." She and her friends believe that the level of violence has gradually escalated, creating a new, disturbing norm for resolving conflicts. There's also a palpable anger stemming from the loss of friends. A group of year 9 students believes the lack of consequences for violent acts is to blame. "There's no proper rules in place," one says.
Selu Ah Hong, who runs youth services programs for the Les Twentyman Foundation, including one specifically aimed at children of Maori or Pasifika background in Melton, says many kids are turning to gang culture to find a sense of belonging. "Pretty much 99 percent of our kids, there is a disconnection from parents and the home environment," he says. "If the kid doesn't have [belonging] at home, they're going to go out and find it." At the same time, he refrains from blaming parents, pointing to the rising cost of living, which forces parents to work multiple jobs, leaving children unsupervised. "Does mum stay home [with the kids] and they're going to get kicked out, evicted, with no food on the table … or does mum go to work?" he asks, highlighting the impossible choices many families face.
Residents fear that Melton is being left behind. Data shows that the City of Melton is the fastest-growing council area in Australia, with a population growth rate of 6.6 percent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Peta Fualau, the head of programs and services at the Centre for Multicultural Youth, argues that this rapid population boom has not been adequately supported with infrastructure or services. She says that COVID-19 and school shutdowns exacerbated disconnection, while social media fueled anger among young people. "When we focus our efforts in the west, there's huge over-representation of young people from multicultural and first nations communities and out-of-home care in the youth justice system," she says. "What we're seeing now is the result of years of poor access to services and supports at the time they were needed."
Mary, the South Sudanese-Australian woman who spoke to the ABC, says she can't endure the sleepless nights any longer. After more than a decade, she's seeking to leave Melton, requesting the Department of Housing to relocate her family. She claims that more than 15 other families she knows have sent their children back to South Sudan due to their overwhelming fear. "It's not good anymore, Melton. This is not going to stop."
What steps can be taken to address the root causes of youth violence in Melton and other similar communities? Is the current approach to youth justice effective? Should there be more resources allocated to support families and address social disconnection? Share your thoughts and proposed solutions in the comments below.
