No safe spaces any more

A woman was allegedly raped while working in a hospital. A young girl was allegedly gang-raped and filmed on school property during school hours. Women, girls and boys are raped on their walks to public transport, to their jobs and schools. Men are assaulted walking to and from work, are mugged and beaten. There are no safe spaces any more.

It is very difficult to believe that those in power, with the resources to make spaces safe, care about these victims of crime. If they did preventing violence against women would be on election manifestos. If they did, the creation of safe community spaces would be on election manifestos. If they did, life-orientation programmes would have chapters on rights, services and options available to the victims of crime. Every member of the South African public is affected by violence and crime, and yet the responses have been belated at best. In fact, too much energy is concentrated on anti-crime efforts at the top to root out corruption before we even start.

If they did care all homes would be built with toilets in them. People would not have to venture out late at night to use a toilet. If they did care streets would have lighting, transport would be regular and transport stops would be well-lit. If they did there would be public facilities where people could play safely together, go for a run or swim in a pool without facing attack on their way home.

This is of grave concern. If we cannot feel safe where we live, work and play how can we live free lives?

Is it that they don’t care, or is it that they simply cannot do the job? If we don’t see safe spaces as priorities on the local election manifestos of all the political parties for 2011, and on the list of priorities of each department’s strategic planning for the next few years, it will be very clear that the issue is a lack of concern for the ordinary voting public, and perhaps a lack of desire to make a change.