Crime and violence are serious issues in informal settlements around the world. To date, there is a dearth of evidence about the causes of and effective strategies for reducing and preventing violence and crime in informal settlements in cities in the Global South. Additionally, women’s voices are often absent from research focused on violence and crime prevention and reduction in informal settlements. The purpose of this study, therefore, was (1) to identify potential causes of violence and crime in informal settlements, as perceived by women living in Mathare informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya and (2) to highlight residents’ strategies for response and prevention. Fifty-five in-depth and walk-along interviews were conducted with women living in Mathare in 2015-2016. A modified grounded theory approach was used to guide data collection and analysis. The most common contributor to violence and crime identified by women in Mathare was idle youth, but leadership and government challenges, corruption and/or inadequacy of police, community barriers, tribalism, and lack of protective infrastructure also emerged as contributing factors. Despite facing many economic, environmental, and day-to-day challenges, women in Mathare identified violence and crime as predominant issues; thus, developing effective response and prevention strategies to these issues is paramount. Women discussed many strategies and initiatives to reduce and prevent violence and crime in informal settlements, but also identified barriers to implementing them. Findings suggest there is a need for trust-building between formal and informal sectors of the community, systems of accountability, and long-term investment to foster sustainable and effective violence and crime response and prevention in these settlements.

犯罪和暴力是世界各地非正规住区的严重问题。迄今为止，关于减少和预防全球南方城市非正规住区暴力和犯罪的原因和有效策略的证据不足。此外，关注暴力和犯罪预防以及减少非正规住区的研究往往没有女性的声音。因此，本研究的目的是 (1) 确定居住在肯尼亚内罗毕 Mathare 非正规住区的妇女所认为的非正规住区中暴力和犯罪的潜在原因，以及 (2) 强调居民的应对和预防策略. 2015-2016 年间，对居住在马萨雷的女性进行了 55 次深入访谈。改进的扎根理论方法用于指导数据收集和分析。Mathare 妇女发现的暴力和犯罪最常见的促成因素是闲散的青年，但领导层和政府的挑战、腐败和/或警察不足、社区障碍、部落主义和缺乏保护性基础设施也成为促成因素。尽管面临许多经济、环境和日常挑战，马萨雷的妇女仍将暴力和犯罪视为主要问题；因此，针对这些问题制定有效的应对和预防战略至关重要。妇女讨论了许多减少和预防非正规住区暴力和犯罪的战略和举措，但也指出了实施这些举措的障碍。