Ready, Set, Go! Thinking about Safety

This past winter, as part of a workshop organized by the agency I volunteer with (Mosaic Family and Counselling Services), I received training in the area of sexual assault. It is sometimes surprising to be given the facts and figures on these unfortunate events that happen in our society. For example, women on average take on more precautions when alone at night. Easy to comprehend but the fact that women do between 3-5 extra things each night regarding personal safety was interesting to think about. Women are more likely to carry rape whistles, walk with others, check the back seat of a car before entering the car and pretending to talk on their cell phone. Men on the other hand, on average take absolutely no extra precautions when walking alone at night. When you think about this concept, you start to think of the reasons why these actions happen and about the safety of the society in which we live.

Personal safety is something that the Beyond Borders program took very seriously with their students. We as students were drilled again and again on the risks we were putting ourselves in over our summer months abroad. We filled out risk management forms regarding the environments in which we are all living this summer. Speaking about Kenya in particular- safety is always a concern and truly dominates my decision making no matter what circumstance I find myself in. Safety for me personally has made me realize the little things that I take for granted walking around the streets of Kitchener Waterloo.

Walking out of the house in Canada usually means that I will carry around $20.00 CAD cash with me everywhere I go as 'just in case' money. In fact, I would have no worries walking around with $100.00 CAD on my person or even more. I wouldn't even think twice about the decision I made. When I walk out of our home in Kenya, at most I carry $5.00 CAD cash on me and usually the amount is really only $3.00 CAD. This money is safely stored zipped up in my pants or in my small bag. Both of these places are not easily assessable. Even locals I know that have the ability to carry around 1000 KSH, ($10.00 CAD), the largest Kenyan bill will wrap the bill in a piece of recycled paper and put it in their pocket.

Transportation is also an important issue concerning safety. As I've said before, the Canadian Government advises against riding in Matatu's the main form of transportation in Nairobi. The reality of living in the slums is that you will ride a matatu. Being smart is essential. Riding matatus in the day for the most part is completely alright and the safest you are going to experience. Riding at night is a completely other story. Riding a matatu at night can be a risk because people can private hire matatu vehicles and use them to rob innocent riders. Even private taxis can be a difficulty because their is no guarantee that they will actually drop you off where you asked to be dropped off at your destination. When riding the public transportation in Nairobi, I must also be cautious what I carry with me. No valuables, small amounts of money and no large bags. I must also be careful that the conductor is  not going to rip me off and charge me a fair amount for my travels. Lets think about the average Canadian university student and their main form of transportation: the bus. Students can safely carry labtops on a bus after a 10pm night class, students do not need to be concerned about being robbed and usually have a bus pass that covers the cost of transportation. Two very different pictures.

Going out at night is just not worth the risk. There are ways to safely go out at night in the city if you wanted to go to a concert, movie or even to a pub. If these circumstances arrive, we use trusted personal drivers who drive people within the organization we work for but there is a lot of planning and hassle in these situations. Otherwise, we are pretty much confined to the confines of our own neighbourhood and venturing out walking to other slums is simply out of the question. The ability to mobilize and travel when you want and where you want is compromised when you live in a slum.

We must assess safety with every step we take on our placements. It is a great comfort to know that everyone at our organization and the people we meet through the schools we visit or the other organizations we go too are so concerned about our safety. Having this assurance makes me feel like I am honouring my mom's final wish when she saw me off at the air port with the message be safe. Knowing how other people consistently ask if we're safe makes me ponder about who worries about the people that live their lives like this everyday. Who cares about the people that are in unsafe conditions on a daily basis?

Its unfortunate that nobody seems to really care about the safety of the people. There are no safeguards or steps to ensure the safety of the community we live in. The truth is bad things can happen anywhere. Perhaps, the risks are higher in the neighbourhood I find myself in this summer and perhaps there is nothing I can really do to guarantee my safety but at the very basic level knowing not to step in front of a bus wherever you are is a wise decision. Defining the risk is also essential to understanding what the level of risk you are in. I wonder what makes communities safe? Is it laws? Personal responsibility?  Why is it that I feel completely safe walking and exploring Waterloo Park at 10:00pm but refuse to step out of my apartment in Nairobi at that hour? Safety should not be a luxury because it is a necessity. Challenging safety and authority at my placement is not worth the risk for me. I am able to make the choice to say its not worth the risk but the thousands that live around me permanently are not given the same options that I am and easily put themselves in unsafe situations where there is clearly no other choice.

Being safe in Nairobi has challenged my concept of personal safety and has made me think about all those vulnerable and unsure of whether or not they lived in and participate in a safe community.