Miray Zekiroğlu & Seyda Nur Uykan
25.02.2023
The world in the 21st century is in a state
that reminds us that we have to be constantly on the move. Mobility is more
than just an emerging concept in relation to the fear of crime. It is the world
we live in now and has been a popular term for some two decades. The slogan
"the faster, the better" which also affects how we perceive and live
in urban areas describe the urban rush well. We are on the move night and day,
from our home to workplace, from school to meet friends etc. This mobility
includes various kinds of means such as walking, cycling, public and private
transportation.
Mobility has many advantages as well as many
disadvantages. Along with easy access and diversity of individuals in the urban
area, crime, a significant threat that restrains people, cannot be ignored. It
is a utopian image to think that there is no crime in a world with intense and
rapid mobility in densely populated cities where millions of people commute
every day.
After a crime is published on the media it may
automatically make you think “What if that happens to me too?”. This is damage
caused by crime which is also hard to fix because it causes anxiety and fear
that can lead to trauma. This anxiety or fear is known as “fear of crime”. In
other words, the fear of crime is an emotional reaction which includes worry
about one’s own safety and fear from potential perpetrators of crime or which
is related to the crime in general (Ferraro, 1995, pp.21-22).
The fear of crime is mostly associated with
urban areas and to a greater extent experienced by women. People feel this fear
especially when they leave their homes (i.e. domestic sphere). The physical
environment of the cities such as the lack of lightning, the shape of ruined
buildings, the perceived irregularity in the physical environment and more may
trigger the fear. The social environment is another factor. The social groups
who are perceived as “alien” and “dangerous” may also trigger the fear of
crime.
The fear of crime differs mainly according to
age and gender. A dilemma can also be presented here due to the lack of
research and data. Some researches (Kul, 2013, pp.30-39), as generally urges
that, women and the elderly feel the fear of crime more than others. Also, in
some research, young people feel fear of crime more than the elderly.
Especially children under the age of 18 are afraid to become victims of crime.
“The Children’s Society survey of 3,000 10-to 17 years old found that just
under four out of 10 (38 percent) were worried about being the victim of a
crime or any anti-social behavior” (Lepper, 2017). There are two main reasons
for this: Poverty and lack of social support, especially from their family. Young
people feel under pressure economically and emotionally which affects their
well-being and perception of crime and being a victim.
Historically, the domestic sphere belonged to
women and the public sphere belonged to men. After the Industrial Revolution
and World Wars, women's participation in the economy and social life increased.
This situation caused confusion to both women and men and the gender-based
roles we had in our minds started to conflict with each other. This conflict
significantly affected women in the public sphere. The expected roles of women
in the private sphere and their involvement in a male-dominated sphere cause
not only confusion but also a feeling of an unsafe environment for women. This
situation also leads them to a vulnerable group with the elderly.
The biggest reason why women and the elderly
feel more fear is the state of vulnerability that emerged from social
constructions of society. In a male-dominated society, we are systematically
taught that “women are not powerful as men” or “the elderly people are unable
to do their own work and take care of themselves”. Even though women do feel
fear of crime more, if we look at the reporting rates, men’s rates of being a
victim are higher. The reason behind this can also be “hidden violence against
women, particularly in domestic situations, and sexual assault, threat and
harassment, which appear neither in official statistics nor in victim surveys.”
(Hale, 1996, p.98).
The events in the public eye, incidents in the
private and public sphere, and social construction and expectations of society
do affect our mobility and increase our fear of crime. If we are women or the
elderly, we may feel more fear of becoming a victim of crime because we are
more vulnerable in a male-dominant and young-focused sphere that is urban. In
the newly developing world, it is also possible for young people to be insecure
in the wrongly renewed cities. Because women and the elderly are more afraid of
becoming victim of a crime, they are more likely to stay in the private sphere
of their homes which decreases their mobility in the city. These three
components are the spearheads to build a city free from the fear of crime.
For all of us, decreasing our mobility as the
world goes on also means being potentially deprived of many things. Therefore,
cities should be built and governed to increase the participation of women and
while making them safe and accessible for all ages and genders. Policymakers
are important in the decision-making process to build friendly environment for
every group in the city. It is important to acknowledge that women, the
elderly, and young individuals have different needs and urban areas should be
able to meet these needs.
Cities should provide a safe environment,
accessible transportation, and meet-up places for every group in the city.
Urban planning, policy-making, municipality projects, and building structures
should be made under these principles. These developments will begin with the
construction of women-friendly cities. On this occasion, it will also end the
social construction of women in our minds. It will be the number one rule for
the sustainability of healthy transportation and the first step to creating
friendly cities for all.
References
Ferraro, Kenneth F. (1995). Fear of Crime:
Interpreting Victimization Risk. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Pp. 21-23.
Hale, C. (1996). Fear of Crime: A Review of the
Literature. International Review of Victimology. 4. Pp. 79-150. Website:
http://irv.sagepub.com/content/4/2/79
Lepper, J. (2017, August 29). More than a third
of young people “living in fear of crime.” Retrieved February 25, 2023, from
CYP Now website:
https://www.cypnow.co.uk/News/article/more-than-a-third-of-young-people-living-in-fear-of-crime
Kul, M. (2013). Suçtan Daha Büyük Suç Korkusu:
İstanbul’da Bir Alan Çalışması. Yeniyüzyıl. Pp.30-39.