Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 - PoA-ISS

Reducing urban crime and violence
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to action are made by the key players and are then put into
practice. This is often not just about doing specific things,
but is also about getting the process of governance in
partnership with local communities to take this seriously in
its everyday actions and practices. The Durban experience
suggests that this process of embedding action can be the
most difficult element in implementing the results of a
women’s safety audit, but that it is also one of the most
important elements.
■ Reducing crime and violence to make a
difference in people’s lives
It is important to remember that actions of the kind
discussed in this section are not just about tackling some of
the most difficult problems in many cities in terms of crime
and violence, but are also about making a difference to the
lives of individuals. Some of the most encouraging stories in
the struggle against crime and violence in Diadema (São
Paulo), for example, are of young people whose lives have
been changed for the better through opportunities provided
and taken to develop cultural or sporting interests that
would otherwise have been very difficult to pursue. 22 It is
very easy to forget this kind of individual dimension to
change, especially, perhaps, when looking at problems that
exist on a large scale. Nevertheless, changes of this kind are
about making a positive difference to the lives of identifiable
individuals and are not just the broader abstractions
inevitably expressed in formal evaluations, important, of
course, though these are.
As with all of the other policy responses reviewed here,
it is important that initiatives regarding the reduction of risk
factors are carefully evaluated so that more is known about
what works, and under what circumstances, so that other
cities can learn from these experiences. It seems likely,
however, that initiatives of this kind will continue to be important
elements of many programmes because they are about
tackling fundamental problems, some of which are deeply
embedded in the economic, social, cultural and political
circumstances of societies. Some of these, such as endemic
violence against women, can be seen not just as crime and
violence issues, but also as basic issues of human rights.
Non-violent resolution of conflicts
As Chapter 4 has argued, the non-violent resolution of
conflicts can be seen as a philosophical approach that has
been put into practice in many related fields, but has not
seen very much specific application in tackling crime and
violence. Consequently, there is, as yet, only limited
evidence that can be drawn upon in discussing what its
future role might be in programmes of this nature. This
situation might be improving. For example, Chapter 4 noted,
in passing, some American evidence of its successful application
to problems in schools. Furthermore, there is evidence
from the Kingston case study of programmes of this nature
being instituted as part of a wide range of initiatives, in
which the Jamaican government has been a major player. 23
Three components of this work – the Dispute Resolution
Foundation, the Peace and Love in Society programmes and
the Police Mediation Unit – in their various ways offer
mediation training to community members, police, teachers,
lay magistrates and youth. They also develop programmes to
teach non-violent conflict resolution in schools and communities,
and they have incorporated peace education as part of
their regular activities. The key question here is this: can
approaches that emphasize the non-violent resolution of
conflicts play an effective part in addressing the problems of
crime and violence? The answer to this question, in the
absence of reliable evidence, must be that it would be worth
exploring the scope for this, perhaps in the first instance on
an experimental basis that is carefully evaluated and
reported upon.
Two examples that relate to problem areas already
discussed might be particularly appropriate in this context.
The first is as part of managing the transition of young
people from a school environment to the world of work and
other social, community or sporting activities. This would be
particularly appropriate where young people have already
come across approaches of this nature in their school lives: it
would represent a continuation of something that is familiar,
rather than introducing something completely new.
The second example relates to efforts to tackle the
problem of prisons becoming ‘universities for crime’. This
needs to be seen alongside programmes to improve prison
conditions and to enhance rehabilitation efforts, rather than
as a substitute for initiatives of this kind. The argument here
is that this issue needs to be tackled not just for the benefits
to the lives of individual prisoners that would arise, but also
because of the general benefits to communities from reducing
rates of recidivism.
This problem needs to be addressed by rethinking
attitudes regarding what the purpose of a prison sentence is,
and by reconsidering the nature of the prison experience to
place greater emphasis on rehabilitation and ensuring that
resources are available to support these activities. This, in
itself, might be seen as a controversial approach in some
quarters, and the suggestion that non-violent approaches to
conflict resolution might have a part to play in such an
approach would probably add to this among those who see
imprisonment as being primarily about punishment. But
evidence seems to suggest that existing prison regimes in
many parts of the world are not working and that alternative
approaches need to be considered.
Strengthening social capital
Chapter 4 adopted a relatively broad-based definition of
social capital, which encompasses efforts to improve the
ability of people, groups and communities, as a whole, to
challenge problems of crime and violence, as well as the
provision of community facilities that facilitate or provide
more opportunities for processes of this nature. This
approach therefore includes the idea that public realm
improvements, and the provision of better facilities in areas
such as culture and sport, can also contribute to reducing
crime and violence, as well as being of value in their own
right to local communities by adding to quality of life.
It is important that
initiatives regarding
the reduction of risk
factors are carefully
evaluated so that
more is known
about what works,
and under what
circumstances, so
that other cities can
learn from these
experiences
Evidence seems to
suggest that existing
prison regimes in
many parts of the
world are not
working and that
alternative
approaches need to
be considered