|
 The
world’s poor are the worst affected by urban crime
and violence, insecurity of tenure and forced
eviction, and natural and human-made disasters,
regardless of their geographical location, finds a
new UN-HABITAT publication,
Enhancing Urban Safety and Security: Global Report
on Human Settlements 2007, launched as part
of World Habitat Day celebrations.
“Over the past decade the world has witnessed
growing threats to the safety and security of cities
and towns. Some have come in the form of
catastrophic events, while others have been
manifestations of poverty and inequality or of rapid
and chaotic urbanization processes,” said the UN
Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
The report pinpoints rapid urbanisation as fast
becoming a force shaping where and when disaster
strikes and who it most affects. Against the
backdrop of increasing crime, in a world where at
least 2 million people are forcibly evicted every
year and where disasters have ever-broadening
impacts, the report discloses trends and facts but
also brings solutions to the table.
“The report gives a voice to those who are not
usually heard and its findings are their silent call
for action. It shatters the common misconception
that the rich are most targeted by crime for their
assets, or suffer the most in urban settings from
security and safety concerns,” said Anna Tibaijuka,
Under Secretary-General and UN-HABITAT Executive
Director.
Deputy Mayor of London Nicky Gavron who spoke at the
launch of the report in London said: “This report is
a thorough study of the treatment of the world’s
poor and is evidence of the ongoing work of the
UN-Habitat in tackling the challenges facing cities
especially the urban poor. Cities have a key
responsibility to take action to tackle climate
change and this report makes it clear that it is
those in urban areas and the developing world that
are often the most affected by climate change. “
The study notes that over the past five years, 60
percent of all urban residents in developing
countries have been victims of crime. This is not,
however, a uniform trend, as rates in North America
and Western Europe are falling significantly, in
contrast to those in Latin America and the
Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Africa.
In Jamaica, for example, the vast majority of the
nation’s murders occur in the capital Kingston,
whilst African cities have the highest reported
levels of burglary – illustrating that urban areas
in general suffer more from crime and violence than
rural areas.
Cities are also targets for terrorist attacks, as
demonstrated by the bombings of Madrid, London and
Mumbai, in 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively. Yet
the impacts of terrorist attacks are significantly
small compared to common crime or other types of
violence.
While the poor are at the receiving end of crime and
violence, they also carry much of the weight of
natural and human-made disasters. The report reveals
that a staggering 98 percent of the 211 million
people affected by natural disasters each year from
1991-2000 were in developing countries. In poorer
countries, it is also women and children who tend to
be most affected by disasters, as illustrated by the
aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, while
the elderly and the disabled are most vulnerable to
natural and human-made hazards.
With natural disasters having increased fourfold
since 1975 and human-made disasters multiplying by
ten between 1976 and 2000, the consequences of these
events are severe. In economic terms, disasters in
the past decade caused US$ 67 billions’ worth of
damage per year, and since the 1950s, economic
losses associated with disasters have increased
fourfold.
Overall, the report underscores the fact that the
urban poor are more exposed to risky events than the
rich, not least because they are often located in
sites that are prone to crime and disasters.
Further, they have limited access to assets to avert
risk or respond to damage, and are also politically
powerless so they often do not receive social help.
Flooding is the most frequent and costly natural
disaster type worldwide. The 2005 Hurricane Katrina
alone was the costliest single natural disaster in
history, with US$81.2 billion in economic damage in
the United States of America. As in many parts of
the developing world, the poorest residents of New
Orleans lived in the most hazardous areas of the
city and suffered more casualties and economic
damage than wealthier households. For instance, in
one of the hardest-hit neighbourhoods – the Lower
Ninth Ward – 98 percent of the population was
African-American and more than a third lived in
poverty.
“The facts unveiled in this report paint a
disheartening picture of the ones with the least,
suffering the most. It shows an unequal and
inequitable distribution of risk and vulnerability,
but it also provides positive examples of success in
dealing with safety and security concerns, whilst
improving the lives of the urban poor,” said Anna
Tibaijuka.
Further threats to urban safety are related to
insecurity of tenure and forced evictions. The vast
majority of today’s one billion slum dwellers live
in developing countries and in the urban areas of
the least developed nations. They account for as
much as 78 percent of the population.
“Many evictions are carried out in the name of urban
redevelopment, with little regard for consequences
among the poor, who are left without alternative
shelter provisions,” noted Ban Ki-moon, UN
Secretary-General. “The resulting social exclusion
swells the army of the poor and the angry.”
Tenure insecurity often results in forced evictions,
with at least 2 million people evicted annually. The
report denounces forced evictions that are most
prevalent in areas with the worst housing
conditions, and when evictions do occur, it is
always the poor that are evicted.
A cocktail of urban planning, policy, design and
governance can help make cities safe and secure. The
report explores successful experiences in dealing
with crime and violence, insecurity of tenure and
forced eviction, and natural and human-made
disasters. It provides concrete case studies of
methods that have had overwhelming success on the
ground. “This year’s study promotes learning and
knowledge sharing. It is a tool essential to
building a better, safer and happier urban society,”
concluded Tibaijuka.
For more information:
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=19&catid=534&cid=5239
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