Safe Cities and Gender Issues

Dr. Vibhuti Patel, DIRECTOR, CSSEIP&

Professor and Head, Post Graduate Department of Economics,

SNDT Women’s University,Smt. Nathibai Thakersey Road, Churchgate, Mumbai-400020

Tel91) (22) 22031879, Ext.243, Mobile-9321040048 E mail: vibhuti.np@gmail.com 1

Breakdown of the inherent laws of society• Urbanisation often goes hand in hand with a rise in

urban violence and crime.• Extortion• children and women are seen as soft spots• victims of violence• One kidnapping in the city is enough, one rape is

enough and the feeling of insecurity is spread like wild fire among the women and children of those areas. This is in the more traditional form of violence… It not only frightens them, it controls every act they consider doing then onwards. 2

Advantages of safety for women• Feeling safe is to feel protected. It is a feeling of

well-being which can envelop a family, a community, a neighbourhood and a city.

• Its composition is hard to decipher, but it is an all -encompassing feeling of calm which is often as invisible as clean unpolluted air and, inversely, when fear and anxiety take its place, that feeling is as palpable as though it was a physical reality.

• More freedom, less confinement & control• Opportunity to travel, education, job, career• Prevention of child marriage 3

“Law and Order" situation & the state• Conflict makes women unsafe• Hostility between rival groups is played on bodies of

women and girls-rape, sexual harassment• Insular existence• Harm to community spirit • Refugee camps• Child marriages increase in the context of unsafe

environment• Police Helpline -103, 1091• One stop crisis centres for women survivors of violence:

doctors, lawyers, police, emergency shelter, legal aid 4

Infrastructure and Safety• Need for safe Housing-Night shelter for homeless women• Half way homes for elderly women• Information desk for women and children at railway

stations/buses• Road widening for 4 wheelers ad heavy vehicles have taken

toll of pavements-Proper foot paths for pedestrians, vendors, hawkers whose presence ensures safety

• Proper lighting• Safety audit by Akshara- in Mumbai city there are over 400

spots which are unsafe (Like Shakti Mill Compound)• Safe, clean, free toilets at railway stations, bus stops,

markets, public places5

Violence Against Women• Gang rape, Seduction and Rape• Moral policing, honour killing• Kidnapping• Acid Attacks• Murders• Extortion• Senior women• Women headed households• Sex Trade-girls & women facing sexual blackmail• Cyber crimes 6

Malnutrition, MMR, CMR, Malaria, Dengue, Tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS• Slum sanitation-toilets• Stagnant water-Malaria, dengue• Water born diseases• T.B. , HIV-AIDS• Women as carers and as patients• High maternal and child mortality in urban Slums• Malnutrition-More than 45% women and children• Food security-curbing inflation in essential commodities• Strong public health measures: Closed gutters, safe

drinking water, health care facilities7

Safety at Schools & Colleges• Child Sexual Abuse• Separate Toilets• Counselors• Sexual harassment• Stalking• Acid Attacks• Moral policing• Pornography-blue films• Transport-Buses, local trains

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Safety of women workers-• Women commuters-Railway stations, bus stands,

auto, taxi• Informal sector• Domestic workers• Call centres• Small scale industries• Offices• Corporate Sector• Markets• Public places 9

Demands of Women’s Groups• More police officers on ground to deter criminals• Better help lines-Efficient, effective and ensure

communication channels with police are open• Gender sensitization of police personnel• Well lit streets, more CCTV cameras, panic

buttons on autos and cabs• No victim blaming• Transparent guidelines for post trauma care,

counseling, rehabilitation, compensation• Rise and Respond to Ensure safety of Women

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Women United will Never be Defeated

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Thank you

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