Human Rights: Community Safety
People have a human right to live in peace and to raise their families in an environment that is free from fear and intimidation. But some communities live with a persistent threat around their homes from activity related to the drug trade and all the negative consequences that flow from that.
Community safety and the threat to it have become core issues form many people today, particularly those living in public housing estates. And in some cases, poor estate management practices and social disadvantage have led to unsupported and chaotic families acting out in ways that make other members of their communities feel very unsafe.
CAN understands the context of inequality and disadvantage which influences those who perpetrate acts of harm. But it also understands the reality of fear and misery experienced by whole communities that are the consequences of such behaviour.
CAN’s response
CAN’s response to this issue has been to work closely with communities to develop innovative ways to enhance their community safety. These include:
- Facilitating inter-agency groups (such as policing forums) to develop ideas on how to be more effective in assuring community safety.
- Working with communities and policing forums to influence public policy and legislation relevant to community safety issues.
- Facilitating communities, the Gardaí and local authorities to look more closely at localised issues, and to develop and monitor appropriate responses.
- Developing innovative responses such as community impact statements (a kind of victim impact statement for communities) to respond to issues when they arise.
We currently work in one community facilitating a localised inter-agency, problem solving group to work together on persistent issues to do with community safety and how best they can be addressed.
See more …
Human Rights Overview
Racial Justice Overview
Collective Complaints
Service Users Rights In Action
Community Safety
Community Benefit From Public Procurement
Rialto Rights In Action
Abusive Lending Practice
Publications: Human Rights