Crime and fear in public places
A CONFERENCE ON THE INDIVIDUAL’S RIGHT TO SAFE PUBLIC PLACES
Sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence in public spaces are everyday occurrences for women and girls around the world….It reduces their ability to participate in school, work and public life. Although violence in the private domain is now widely recognized as a human rights violation, violence against women and girls in public places still remains a largely neglected issue (UN Women, 2017).
This illustrates that fear and victimisation in public places are complex subjects that cannot be fully described through gender-neutral perspectives. Therefore, in this conference we examine victimisation and fear through an intersectional lens, considering issues of gender, age, physical and psychological abilities, socio-economic status, religion, and ethnic belonging. An individual’s right to safe public places is also highly dependent on society’s norms and structures that either promote or limit one’s freedom to move around without hinderance or fear.
The aim of this conference is first to promote a discussion on the need for more comprehensive and contextualized knowledge about violence in public places: its nature, trends and patterns. And secondly, to offer an opportunity for reflection about our current practices in promoting safety for different groups of society, by both academics and practitioners.
Book from the conference: Crime and fear in public places (Free Download)
