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102Urban crime and violenceIn some parts of theworld violenceagainst womenappears to be deeplyetched in society;but it is also clearthat there is growingpressure for this tobe endedThe process oftackling domesticviolence requireslong-term commitmentsince it oftenseeks to addresscultural habits andpractices that aredeeply ingrainednature. For example, in 1995 the Colombian governmentlaunched two Casas de Justicia (Houses of Justice), whichare based on face-to-face meetings between parties inconflict and which include the provision of access to legalservices for low-income families.Strategies aimed at reducing risk factorsThe main elements in strategies designed to achieve thereduction of risk factors appear to be measures to tackleviolence against women, programmes to prevent youth(particularly young males) from slipping into a life of crime,as well as programmes to help people in both of these groupswho have become victims of crime.■ Focusing on violence against womenIn some parts of the world violence against women appearsto be deeply etched in society; but it is also clear that thereis growing pressure for this to be ended as part of securingbasic human rights for women. One publication seeking tooffer practical advice to this end in Eastern and SouthernAfrica notes:The call for an end to violence against women isgrowing ever louder. Increasingly, women’srights are seen as a cornerstone in the promotionof human rights and the realization ofsocial justice. Clearly, women cannot live free,safe and dignified lives when violence, or thethreat of violence, pervades their public andprivate experiences. Without the basic right tolive free from fear, all other gains are compromised…The challenge for activists now is totranslate these visions of women’s rights intopractical projects and activities that promotemeaningful change in the lives of women, men,families and communities. 67The approach suggested for tackling domestic violenceagainst women has five phases:1 Community assessment: gathering information aboutattitudes and beliefs, and beginning to build relationshipswith community members.2 Raising awareness: increasing awareness of domesticviolence and its consequences, not just among thecommunity at large, but specifically with various governmentaland professional sectors.3 Building networks: encouraging and supporting communitymembers and professional sectors to beginconsidering action and changes that uphold women’sright to safety.4 Integrating action: making action against domesticviolence part of everyday life and of the policies andpractices of institutions.5 Consolidating efforts: strengthening activities in orderto ensure their sustainability, continued growth andprogress. Such actions might well include gatheringdata to provide evidence of what has been achievedsince positive evidence of this nature can of itselfprovide a stimulus to further action. 68This is just one example of an initiative to offer practicaladvice and support in tackling domestic violence in a part ofthe world where this is a major problem. The process oftackling domestic violence requires long-term commitmentsince it often seeks to address cultural habits and practicesthat are deeply ingrained. This requires committed leadershipand the ability to keep going in the face of setbacks. Animportant element that has been promoted widely andincreasingly by both activists and municipalities is the developmentof partnerships and joint initiatives, in whichvoluntary work, institutional support and access to networksand infrastructures is facilitated by pulling togetherresources and capacities. One of the trends during recentyears in this context has been that what were often previouslyisolated initiatives of this kind have not only beensupported by international organizations, but have also beenable to link with other groups in other parts of the world foradvice, support and encouragement. Initiatives of this natureare much facilitated by the development of electroniccommunication, including the internet, 69 and by the abilityof groups to come together at major world events toexchange experiences. 70■ Women’s safety auditsA starting point for many projects that seek to tackleviolence against women is the use of women’s safety audits.Essentially, these involve exploratory walks by groups ofthree to six people, mainly women designed to identifyspecific problems in the local environment from a woman’ssafety perspective. At each specific site, participants identifywhere the potential for crime is high or where women, orothers, may feel unsafe. This helps to suggest appropriatecorrective action. Women’s safety audits not only providevaluable information, but also increase awareness of violenceagainst vulnerable groups, and help decision-makers tounderstand how men and women experience their environments.71 Box 4.9 summarizes the experience of Durban inthis regard. 72■ Grappling with youth crimeThe fact that cities as different as Port Moresby (see Box 4.5)and Toronto (see Box 4.7) both recognize the need to payparticular attention to youth crime is suggestive of theubiquitous nature of this problem. A significant proportionof the crimes that occur in cities across the world are perpetratedby young males. 73 In many instances, this is becausethey have few options. Consequently, strategies designed toshow young people that there are better alternatives and toencourage them to experience employment opportunities orengage in sporting or cultural activities in preference to a lifeof crime are increasingly becoming popular. The value ofsuch strategies can be seen in both their short- and longtermeffects. In the short term, strategies of this nature candeflect young people away from criminal activities and thereforecan positively affect one of the groups most prone tocrime. There are examples of short-term successes of this