International Journal of Humanities Social Science and Management (IJHSSM) Volume 2, Issue 5, Non.-Dec. 2022, pp: 178-190 www.ijhssm.org | Impact Factor value 7.52 | ISO 9001: 2008 Certified Journal Page 178 Risk Factors Posed By Waterfront Shanty Settlements on juvenile Delinquents In Rivers State, Nigeria OGBONNA, UCHE DIVINE Department of Sociology Faculty of Social Sciences University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria Prof. ANELE, KINIKAWO A. Department of Sociology Faculty of Social Sciences University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 06-11-2022 Date of Acceptance: 20-11-2022 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABSTRACT The purpose of the research was to investigate “Risk Factors Posed by Waterfront Shanty Settlements on Juvenile Delinquents in Rivers State, Nigeria”.3 study questions and 3 objectives were selected. Consequently,“ Agnew‟s General Strain Theory” was exploited to comprehend and relate the variables. The qualitative research design adopted for this research is “Case Study” with a sample size of 10 participants. The multi-staged sampling approach (criterion sampling & snowball sampling techniques) was adopted. Using an in-depth interview data was gathered from the field, compiled and analyzed through “inductive thematic analysis”. Findings indicated that the major crimes or delinquent acts committed in the waterfront shanty settlements are alcohol/drug abuse; shoplifting; stealing/theft; vandalism; pickpocketing; assault and prostitution. The findings also show that factors that make juveniles commit delinquent acts (crimes) in the shanty settlement include: poverty; lack of basic amenities; unemployment; single-parenthood; peer influence; low household income; substance abuse; household violence and absence of schooling. The initiatives taken by shanty dwellers towards the remedy of juvenile delinquency were: build schools; provide basic amenities; provide jobs; provide good housing; eradicate poverty through feeding scheme and relocate shanties to better hosing neighborhood. It was recommended among others that juveniles from low-income homes are more likely to engage in criminal behaviour, thus efforts to improve their living conditions should focus on families especially from the shanty settlements. Also, there is need for change in the way the law is applied through juvenile courts, thus, emphasizing restorative justice because most juvenile offenders are themselves victims of the system; hence, juveniles who have committed crimes should face trial in a special juvenile court where their rights can be fully protected. Keywords: Risk Factors, Juvenile Delinquency, Shanty, Waterfront Shanty Settlement. I. INTRODUCTION A plethora of questions arise for the metropolis of the twenty-first century, challenges comparable to waterfront shanty settlements. Over time, waterfronts have come to mean different things in different parts of the world, but scholars (Giovinazzo, &Giovinazzi, 2008; Giovinazzi, & Moretti, 2010) agree that they are important parts of many cities and play a big role in the social, political, and economic life of the places where they are found and developed (Hussein, 2014). Today, it's not news that a lot of city residents live in poor shanty or slum areas but what might be news, though, is how many of these city residents live in shanties along the waterfronts of cities, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. Shanty settlements are also known as squatter settlements, slums, inappropriate housing, informal settlements, and/or unplanned communities. UN-Habitat (2016) defines shanty towns as "illegal or unauthorized settlements