THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 1983. Women and violence

Press, 6 July 1983, Page 12

THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 1983. Women and violence

The 160 people, most of them women, who attended a public meeting organised by the Christchurch branch of the Young Women’s Christian Association on Monday reflect the growing concern in the community at the incidence of violent attacks on women, often, but not necessarily, accompanied by rape. The fear of criminal attacks at home or in the streets is real and increasing. The Y.W.C.A. has taken a lead in encouraging ordinary, lawabiding people to protect themselves against such an eventuality. The principal elements of this campaign — the formation of neighbourhood watch groups and telephone networks — are similar to the steps taken in an Auckland suburb last month after a particularly vicious attack on a woman resident.

These are simple measures. They demand nothing more of those who take part than an awareness of the neighbourhood’s comings and goings and a willingness to provide mutual support. At one time, these features were the common trait of neighbourhoods and taken for granted. The need to set the ball rolling shows

how far the sense of community has dwindled. Household security is another simple matter, but one all too often overlooked. The use of deadlocks or chains on doors and windows is a powerful deterrent to prowlers, if not to a determined burglar. In more than one-third of 900 recently reported burglaries in Christchurch, entry was freely gained through unlocked doors or open windows. The initiative provided by the Y.W.C.A. now rests with those who attended the meeting and who must take it to their own neighbourhoods if the campaign is to meet success. The high number of telephone calls that the Y.W.C.A. received yesterday from people who were unable to attend the meeting suggests that recruits will not be hard to find. Preventing assaults on people in their homes and on suburban streets is both an individual and a community responsibility. The arrangements put in train this week could be the means by which prompt warning of suspicious or unlawful behaviour can be given to the police, who remain the proper agency to deal with it.