Vision & Mission

“In 2030, people living in South Africa feel safe and have no fear of crime. They are safe at home, at school, at work and they enjoy active community life free of fear. Women can walk freely in the streets and children can play safely outside.” National Development Plan - Vision 2030

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

SaferSpaces supports the vision for South Africa as set out in the National Development Plan (see the quote above).

SaferSpaces 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]

Therefore, 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.

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 may perpetuate violence, including vigilante justice, the promotion of weapons or violent behaviour.

MISSION

SaferSpaces is an online knowledge sharing and networking portal for community safety as well as violence and crime prevention practitioners from government, civil society and the research community in South Africa. The portal focuses on preventative approaches as long-term, sustainable solutions to violence and crime.

SaferSpaces aims to become:

South Africa's key knowlege hub for finding and publishing knowledge resources, good practices, events as well as thematic information on a wide spectrum of topics related to community safety as well as violence and crime prevention;
A central online knowledge sharing and networking space for practitioners from government, civil society and academia working towards community safety and violence and crime prevention in South Africa to showcase their work, share their knowledge resources, announce events, connect with and learn from each other; and
An effective support to the South African community safety and violence and crime prevention agenda, informing on and supporting safety-related processes, developments and events.