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236Towards safer and more secure citiesparticularly in developing and transitional countries, toimprove their ability to effectively implement measures thataddress problems of crime and violence. Such direct assistanceshould be part of a package that also includescontinuing and strengthening international cooperation intackling various types of organized crime, such as traffickingof drugs, arms and people — all of which have internationaldimensions. There are several examples that have been ofimmense importance to particular cities. For instance, assistancefrom the US has been a key factor in recent efforts tomount projects tackling aspects of crime and violence inKingston (Jamaica). Likewise, Canada, The Netherlands andSweden have contributed to Safer Cities projects supportedby UN-Habitat in several African cities.One particular type of international support that canbe very helpful is in the field of training and staff development.There are already several good examples of thispractice. For example, as part of its support for the reform ofthe Jamaica Constabulary Force since 2000, the UK governmenthas been providing financial resources on a significantscale, mainly to support international police officers workingalongside Jamaica’s force in addressing issues of seriouscrime. This latter element has included Metropolitan Policeofficers working directly with their Jamaican counterparts, aswell as training being offered by the Metropolitan Police tothe Jamaica Constabulary Force. The relationship betweenthe Jamaica Constabulary Force and the UK’s MetropolitanPolice suggests that there can be particular advantages in thisrelationship – on a continuous rather than an ad hoc basis –since this offers the opportunity of progressive improvementrather than short-term gains.The UN-Habitat Safer Cities Programme has muchpotential for expansion, especially by engaging more citiesthan it has done to date and, where possible, by helping tospeed up the process in cities that have proved to be slow ingetting to grips with the problems of crime and violence.There are several things that might help in this context; butone important issue is the availability of resources, both forthe programme as a whole and for projects in individualcities. Further international support could be of considerablevalue in this context as well.Forced evictions are the most visible manifestation oftenure insecurity. The number of people falling victim toforced evictions each year runs into several millions, and thehuman costs associated with such evictions are staggering.Evicted people not only lose their homes and neighbourhoods,but they are also often forced to leave behindpersonal possessions since little warning is given beforebulldozers or demolition squads destroy their settlements.And, in many such cases, the entire eviction process iscarried out without having been subject to judicial scrutiny.Forced evictions are inevitably traumatic: they cause injury;they affect the most vulnerable; and they place victims atrisk of further violence. Evictees often lose their sources oflivelihood since they are forced to move away from areaswhere they had jobs or sources of income. In particular,women evictees face unique challenges, suffering disproportionatelyfrom violence before, during and after a forcedeviction. Women also often have to manage multiple responsibilitiesas the primary caretakers of children, the sick andthe elderly in situations of forced eviction and homelessness.All of these consequences of forced evictions aredirectly linked to the theme of this Global Report: from arange of aspects of physical security of the person, to jobsecurity and social security, to the very notion of security ofthe home itself. Evictions that result in homelessness are aserious threat to most, if not all, aspects of human security.An end to forced evictions is thus a major part of a strategyto enhance urban safety and security. Chapter 11 examineshow an approach to security of tenure combining internationaladvocacy with human rights and human securityconcerns could prove invaluable in preventing the practiceof forced evictions.A large and increasing body of international law nowcondemns the practice of forced eviction as a gross andsystematic violation of human rights. Despite this, evictionsare a tragically common feature in all regions of the world.Chapter 11 argues that the right to security of tenure goesbeyond a narrow focus on property rights alone, andproposes that it is more appropriate to use the term housing,land and property rights, or HLP rights. Such an approachwould contribute to avoiding the exclusion and inequitabletreatment of, or outright discrimination against, certainsegments of the population, such as tenants, co-operativedwellers, people living and/or working in informal settlementswithout security of tenure, women, nomads,indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups.At the international level, four areas stand out forparticular attention. First, there is a need to raise the awarenessof governments and other stakeholders with respect towhat the already existing body of international law implies atthe national and local levels. Chapter 11 suggests the proclamationof a global moratorium on forced evictions as oneway of addressing this. Such a moratorium would send astrong signal about the importance of such rights and couldenhance the international public debate with respect to theright to security of tenure. Second, Chapter 11 calls for theapplication of international criminal law to cases of forcedevictions. Third, international cooperation activities shouldincreasingly focus on supporting local institutions, including,in particular, NGOs and community-based organizations(CBOs) that are actively involved in awareness-raising aboutHLP rights at the national and local levels. Fourth, as notedin Chapter 5, there is an immediate need to ensure thatgovernments are fulfilling their obligations with respect tomonitoring the progressive realization of the right toadequate housing. Efforts under way to develop indicatorsfor global monitoring mechanisms on security of tenure,evictions and other aspects of HLP rights should thus beactively encouraged and supported.At the national level, states are obliged to respect,protect and fulfil all human rights, including HLP rights. Theobligation to respect requires states to refrain from interferingwith the enjoyment of rights, such as when a stateengages in arbitrary forced evictions. The obligation toprotect requires states to prevent violations of such rights bythird parties, such as landlords or private developers. Finally,the obligation to fulfil requires states to take appropriate