Terms and Conditions
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 These terms and conditions (“Terms”) apply to the SaferSpaces website (the “Website”), which was initiated by the Inclusive Violence and Crime Prevention for Safe Public Spaces (“VCP”) programme. The VCP programme is a joint South African-German intervention coordinated by the South African Department of Cooperative Governance and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit ("GIZ") on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. For more information, visit http://www.saferspaces.org.za/content/page/the-vcp-programme.
1.2 These Terms are binding on everyone who chooses to access the Website without qualification or exception. By using this Website, the person accessing the Website (the “User”) agrees to be bound by and shall be regarded to have accepted to abide by these Terms and the Privacy Policy (accessible at http://www.saferspaces.org.za/content/page/privacy-policy), and acknowledges to have read and understood them. If the User does not agree to any of the Terms, the User should not enter, view or make use of the Website.
1.3 SaferSpaces reserves the right to and may occasionally make any changes to these Terms without notifying the User. If the User’s continues to use this Website, after the changes have been made, this action shall represent the User’s agreement to the updated Terms.
2. VISION AND PRINCIPLES
2.1 SaferSpaces supports the vision of a South Africa where all people "feel safe and have no fear of crime. They are safe at home, at school, at work and they enjoy an active community life free of fear. Women can walk freely in the streets and children can play safely outside.” [National Development Plan, Chapter 12, 2011]
2.2 Safer Spaces understands violence and crime prevention as strategies and measures that seek to reduce the risk of violence and crime occurring and their potential harmful effects on individuals and societies, including fear of violence and crime, by intervening to influence their multiple causes. [Based on the definition of crime prevention by the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Crime, 2002]
2.3 SaferSpaces recognises that violence and crime are complex issues that require multi-sectoral interventions at an individual, family, community and societal level to reduce risk and address the root causes.
2.4 SaferSpaces believes in non-violent interventions that reduce the prevalence of violence and crime in South Africa. Consequently, SaferSpaces rejects interventions and/or demands for actions that it believes may perpetuate violence, including vigilante justice, the promotion of weapons or violent behaviour.
3. MISSION
3.1 Safer Spaces aims to become the principal online portal for information and an inclusive hub for collaboration and knowledge sharing on violence prevention and community/urban safety in South Africa.
3.2 Towards fulfilling this aim, SaferSpaces has a two-fold intention:
3.2.1 to bring together and connect community safety and violence prevention practitioners in South Africa, supporting them in sharing their knowledge and learning from each other; and
3.2.2 to act as a knowledge and information hub on community safety and violence and crime prevention in South Africa.
4. WEBSITE USE
4.1 The content published on the Website reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the official opinion of VCP, GIZ or other organisations supporting and/or contributing to the Website unless otherwise stated.
4.2 The content published in the Website - e.g. events, publications, project profiles, organisational profiles, practitioner profiles etc. - does not represent an endorsement of the publisher, contributor or the content.
4.3 No content that is illegal, unlawful, obscene, defamatory, discriminatory, disparaging of others, derogatory, inflammatory, harassing, insulting, offensive or likely to promote violence or hatred against others or that contains abusive, offensive or profane language may be posted on the Website nor may such content be associated in linking to the Website.
4.4 Any material uploaded by the User to the Website will be considered to be in the public domain and anyone can distribute them. In uploading content, the User grants the Website and its users the right to distribute and reveal to third parties any such material.
4.5 The Website may contain links to other websites. VCP has no control over such websites and does not review their content and will not be responsible for their content or accuracy. The User accesses such websites at the User’s own risk and judgment.
4.6 Although every effort will be made to have this Website available at all times, the Website may become unavailable due to maintenance or repairs, loss of connectivity or some other form of interruption. VCP does not warrant against nor will it be held legally responsible for such downtime and is hereby indemnified from any loss, damage, claims, costs or penalties incurred as a result of such unavailability.
4.7 By gaining entry to this Website the User represents and warrants that he owns and/or otherwise controls the rights to the content that he posts and/or uploads. Furthermore, the User represents and warrants that the content submitted to the Website is accurate; can be used; and will not result in injury, insult any person or violate any clause of these Terms or any law. VCP is therefore indemnified from and against any and all loss by any person which results from a violation of these representations or warranties.
5. VISITORS & MEMBERSHIP
5.1. In terms of its usage, SaferSpaces differentiates between visitors and members.
5.2. Visitors refers to anyone with an interest in the knowledge and/or the resources SaferSpaces offers without necessarily being a community safety or violence prevention practitioner. Visitors relate to the intention of the site as specified under 3.2.2.
5.2.1. Visitors benefit from the public access to knowledge and resources made available on the site.
5.3. Members refers to the community of practitioners that SaferSpaces wishes to connect and engage as active contributors to the site. As such, membership is limited to practitioners working on community safety and/or violence and crime prevention, for example for government, an NGO or a research institute. Members relate to the intention of the site as specified under 3.2.1.
5.3.1. Members have the ability to profile their projects and organisations, access the member and organisational profiles of others, upload resources, announce events and contribute to the thematic pages of the site.
5.4. Membership is granted upon application via online registration on the site. The rules and criteria for being granted membership are as follows:
5.4.1. Upon submitting his/her application for membership, the applicant confirms that he/she respects the principles stated under point 1 and that the information provided is accurate and truthful.
5.4.2. All applications for membership are reviewed by an administrator in terms of the criteria for membership (see 5.3). In this context, special attention is paid to the motivation and any recommendations by existing members that are provided by the applicant on the registration form.
5.4.3. Membership is granted at the discretion of SaferSpaces and the organisations which support it. Visitors cannot claim a right to membership.
6. RESOURCES & PROJECT PROFILES
6.1. SaferSpaces aims to build a knowledge repository of resources, projects and good practices in the field of community safety and violence and crime prevention in South Africa.
6.2. All projects, resources and other information submitted by members should contribute to a deeper understanding and action towards community safety and violence and crime prevention (in line with the principles stated under 1).
6.3. All resources and project profiles submitted to SaferSpaces are subject to review by an administrator before being posted and visible on the Website.
6.3.1. Upon submitting a resource or any other information, the member confirms that it respects the principles stated under 6.2 and 2.
6.3.2. Resources are reviewed in terms of their respect of the site's principles (see 6.2 and 2), the bibliographical information and short summary provided as well as their categorisation according to topic, sector and format. The administrator may edit and adjust the provided information to ensure a proper, coherent listing.
6.3.3. Project profiles are reviewed in terms of the completeness, coherence and quality of the provided information. While the extent of this information is at the discretion of the respective member/organisation, SaferSpaces expects a sufficient amount of information regarding: (a) general data such as contact, time frame etc, (b) main profile sections "In a Nutshell", "What we do", "How we do it", "What he have achieved", "What we have learned".
6.3.4. Prior to approval, the administrator may edit project profiles and/or ask respective members to edit and/or add more information if it is missing or incomplete.
6.3.5. Once approved, members are able to edit and update project profiles at their own discretion. The administrator may check such profiles at any time to ensure that they continue to meet the site's principles and criteria.
6.4. No information or resources that are illegal, unlawful, obscene, defamatory, discriminatory, disparaging of others, derogatory, inflammatory, harassing, insulting, offensive or likely to promote violence or hatred against others or that contains abusive, offensive or profane language may be posted on the site.
6.5 In accordance with 4.2, publishing a project profile or resources or events etc. on SaferSpaces does not represent an endorsement of the publisher, contributor or the content itself.
7. PASSWORDS
7.1 If registered to the Website, the User shall be responsible for all access to the Website with the User’s username and password. When the User’s username and password have been used in order to gain access to the Website, VCP shall be entitled to assume that such use and all related communications emanate from the User. VCP shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from unauthorised use of the User’s identification information.
7.2 Should the User become aware of a breach of the confidentiality of the User’s username and password, the User must immediately communicate this to VCP. The compromised username and password will be deactivated as soon as reasonably possible and a new username and password will be issued to the User. VCP may, in its sole and absolute discretion and for any reason whatsoever, require the User to change his username and password at any time.
8. LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY
8.1 Any commentary, advice, information, suggestions, opinions, answers or any other information posted on the Website is not intended to nor shall it be interpreted to amount to advice on which a User should rely. Such items are posted merely to guide the User on the subject of discussion. The User makes use of any such information at the User’s own risk and in the User’s own discretion. The User indemnifies VCP from and against any and all liability and responsibility arising from the User relying on such information whether posted on the Website or by any other person visiting the Website.
8.2 The Website and all information, content, materials and services included or otherwise made available to the User in it or provided on an “as is” and on an “as available” basis.
8.3 VCP does not warrant, whether express or impliedly, in regard to the Website, its contents, accuracy or availability. Without taking away from anything that has been previously said, VCP does not warrant that the Website or any files that may be downloaded from it are free of viruses, worms, trojan horses or any other code that have malicious, contaminating or destructive properties.
8.4 The User takes all responsibility and risk for making use of the Website. Despite anything to the contrary contained in these Terms, VCP will have no liability for any loss, damage, cost, claim or penalty of whatsoever nature including, but not limited to, indirect and consequential loss or damage and loss of profits, however arising out of or in connection with these Terms or the Website, whether caused by latent or patent defects in the Website, the use of the Website and/or information contained on the Website or otherwise.
8.5 VCP shall not be liable for and the User hereby indemnifies VCP against any and all liability of any nature whatsoever suffered by the User or any third party in relation to any act or omission by the User or, where applicable, the User’s shareholders, members, directors, officers, employees, representatives, agents or assigns or any third party in relation to the Website and the use thereof by the User, and/or arising from the provisions of these Terms.
8.6 VCP will not be liable for any delay, failure, violation or non-compliance with its obligations under these Terms if such delay, failure, violaton or non-compliance is beyond the reasonable control of VCP.
8.7 These Terms do not intend to, nor shall they be interpreted to, limit the liability of VCP in any way which would be against the law for VCP to exclude or attempt to exclude or where such exclusion is banned by any law in force from time to time in the Republic of South Africa.
9. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
9.1 The User accepts that VCP and/or its licensors are the owners of any and all copyright, trademarks and other intellectual property connected with, related to or appearing on the Website (“Intellectual Property”). This excludes information and resources provided by the User (or other users) on project profiles, user profiles or organisational profiles.
9.2 The content of the Website, including but not limited to any pictures, photos, text, presentations, names, titles, brands, drawings, models and associated software are protected by South African and international law. The owners of such content shall continue to own all such rights therein unless provided otherwise in these Terms.
9.3 VCP and/or SaferSpaces graphics, trademarks, logos, page headers, button icons, scripts and service names are the trademarks or trade dress of VCP and/or GIZ. VCP’s trademarks and trade dress may not be used in connection with any product or service that is not conducted by VCP or in any manner that is likely to cause confusion among customers, or in any manner that ridicules or discredits VCP. All other trademarks not owned by VCP that appear on the Website are the property of their individual owners who may or may not be associated with, connected to, or sponsored by VCP. The User may not use such trademarks without consent from the relevant owners.
9.4 The User agrees:
9.4.1 not to use or register any trademarks, trade names or other devices which are or incorporate marks which are the same as or confusingly similar to VCP’s trademarks or which marks are likely to be related with to VCP’s trademarks or where such use would take unfair advantage of or be detrimental to the distinctive character or the reputation of VCP’s trademarks;
9.4.2 not at any time to do or cause to be done any act or thing in any way that will impair or tend to impair any part of VCP’s rights, title and interest in and to the Intellectual Property; and
9.4.3 not in any way to make unauthorised use of the Intellectual Property or to represent that User has any rights of any nature in the Intellectual Property or any registrations thereof.
9.5 The User agrees not to make any unauthorised use, reproductions or copies of any work or material displayed or made available on the Website and agrees to adhere to and comply with all policies, conditions of use and rules that may apply to the use of such work or material. Despite the aforesaid, the User may download and print one copy of the Website’s contents, non-commercial and information purposes only.
10. BREACH
If the User commits any breach of these Terms or in any other way interacts with or uses the Website in an unlawful or unauthorised manner, VCP will be entitled, in its sole and absolute discretion, to terminate the User’s access to the Website immediately, without prior notice, without any liability on VCP’s part and without prejudice to VCP rights in terms of these Terms or at law.
11. PRIVACY POLICY
SaferSpaces has a privacy policy in place. Users can access the privacy policy at the following link: http://www.saferspaces.org.za/content/page/privacy-policy
12. DISCLAIMER
12.1 The original content on this Website has been carefully researched and diligently compiled. Nevertheless, VCP does not accept any liability or give any guarantee for the validity, accuracy and completeness of the information provided. VCP reserves the right to modify, append, delete parts or the complete online content without prior notice, or to cancel the publication temporarily or permanently.
12.2 This site contains content uploaded by users. While this content is monitored by the site administrators, the responsibility for the content lies with the respective user who uploaded it.
12.3 This site contains links to third-party web sites. The linked sites are not under the control of GIZ and GIZ is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site.
12.4 Links to SaferSpaces are admissible if the SaferSpaces sites retrieved becomes the sole content of the browser window.
13. OTHER ISSUES
13.1 Icons used across the site have been licensed through the service provider responsible for programming the site (Flow Communications) unless stated otherwise. Some icons were made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com licensed by CC 3.0.