Summary
Franz Vanderschueren, past Coordinator
of the Safer Cities Programme immediately emphasizes that he
will discuss networks. Networks are a way to maintain, learn
from, and use the techniques and experiences of others as well
as to support the efforts of others doing prevention work involving
women's safety. All actors in the field of prevention are pioneers
as they all encounter unique obstacles in their related activities.
This makes it necessary for us to share our experiences based
on our respective progress and problems - which are often identical
to those of other partners - and to develop proper solutions
that consider all partners' respective solutions and activities.
We must build solidarity. UN-Habitat's Safer
Cities Programme is a good example as it allows members to take
part in many urban conferences and to have them include workshops
on community safety that address women's safety. We often approach
social problems by cutting them into slices. We need to make
sure that women's security is an element that is considered
in all instances (or «slices») where social problems
are concerned. It is also necessary that leaders of different
cities keep in contact with each other and other leaders in
their region so that they can learn from each other's experiences
and adapt their own respective projects to better respond to
the needs of their citizens. It is also helpful to hold coinciding
meetings that aim to share new experiences and knowledge so
that leaders can use lessons and knowledge learned by others
to help develop activities in their own respective municipalities.
Franz Vanderschueren emphasizes
that mutually beneficial networks must be developed between
the North and the South. There is a lot to be learned from initiatives
in the South that are often more advanced compared to those
in the North. He particularly refers to interventions working
with violent men in South Africa.
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