General

A safe cities for women programme will usually be most effective if it operates over a long period of time in one city or community. This is because it takes a long time to change community attitudes about women and safety. It also takes a long time to build partnerships and trust between residents, government officials, police, urban planners, community organizations and other actors who work on safe cities for women programming. In addition, it is helpful to remember that it often requires time for all of the actors involved in a safe cities for women programme to learn the best way to work in their own communities (Whitzman, 2008b, 199). For all of these reasons, safe cities for women programmes should aim to serve their communities on a longer-term basis. From the beginning, this requires appropriate planning and action by programme co-ordinators to make their work sustainable, as well as technical and financial resources.