Harassment and abuse of women and girls in public spaces is a rampant yet largely neglected issue. This module provides guidance on how to create safe cities and communities for women and girls to live a life free of violence drawing on the knowledge of experts and on existing programmes that work. This advance version, walks you through essential programming elements, giving step-by-step guidance for implementation with illustrative case studies and links to tools and other resources.
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Last edited: January 17, 2013
Safe Cities
What does this module contain?What are the objectives of this module?Who is the audience for this module?What are safe cities and communities for women and girls? Why focus on safe cities and communities for women and girls?What are some of the challenges?What inititatives have been developed to date?
Programming should be based on an understanding that men and women have different experiences of living and working in the city (some based on gender inequality)Programming should work to actively include women and girl in every step of the process and should make connections with women's organizationsProgramming should always focus on both women's and girl's actual safety and women's and girl's perceived sense of safetyProgramming should focus on creating gender-based/gender-mainstreamed policies and programmesProgramming should focus on the needs and ideas of each different city or communityProgramming should keep gender as a main consideration in all urban planning and design processesProgramming on safe cities for women should be based on a clear understanding that making cities safer for women makes cities safer for everyone
GeneralIdentify potential partnersDevelop strategies to be inclusive of local government and civil societyDefine the parameters and objectives of the partnershipDetermine the partnership structure and choose a leadAssess the availability of resourcesArticulate clear and consistent information flow and communication among partners
General Guidance
Highlight the fact that space is not neutralPlan spaces to encourage equal social relations between men and womenMake sure to involve women as active participants in the planning process. This means taking women’s and girls’ personal experiences seriously Make sure that public sector/government entities prioritize gender equality and violence against women in policies and programmesBuild safety directly into city projects
Recognise the barriers to women’s safe, efficient and affordable travelIncorporate safety services and design features specifically for the needs of women and girls in public transit systems Pressure transit bodies and governments to incorporate consideration of gender into the everyday operations of transit services.