Creating Engagement in Public Spaces for Safer Cities for Women

The rapid pace and nature of urbanization taking place throughout the world has thrown up new challenges for governments, and their populations as well as social scientists and activists. Urban spaces provide new opportunities for people to build their homes and lives, but at the same time reinforce existing inequalities and often create new ones. Gender is a central axis of discrimination along with poverty, disability and other vulnerabilities. While violence and fear may have impacts on the whole population, marginalized groups are much more vulnerable. Women face the fear of sexual violence as a constant threat to their ability to move around, to work and their general well-being.

There is increasing concern about women’s safety in cities over the past few years. The fear of violence in public spaces affects the everyday lives of women as it restricts their movement and freedom to exert their right as citizens of the city – freedom to move, study, work, and leisure. Women, particularly those living in low income settlements, feel unsafe in their settlements after dark as the areas are poorly lit, the streets are not well paved, the drain water overflows on the streets making it tough for them to walk, and the bus stops are often located in a corner of the settlements – forcing them to walk in the dark streets.

Creating safety involves much more than just responding to violence. It is important to create the conditions by which women are able to move about safely and without fear of violence or assault. Fear often plays a key role in women’s experience and access to the city. Therefore in order to create greater levels of safety and comfort, both actual violence and the fear of violence need to be addressed. Research has shown that many factors play a role in determining women’s access to the city including urban design and planning, community involvement, improved policing, usage of space etc.

Keeping this in mind, we developed the mobile app and online platform Safetipin which collects information on public spaces through a safety audit that can be done by anyone, anywhere in the world. In cities everywhere in the world, women’s safety in public spaces is becoming a growing concern. Safetipin is a free app and can be downloaded from the App store or Google play.

Research from different parts of the world show that women face sexual harassment on a regular basis in cities. In India, certainly the gruesome rape and murder in December 2012 has changed public perception of women’s safety and we find both greater reportage of violence and improved response from stakeholders. At the core of Safetipin is the safety audit that measures nine parameters including lighting, the state of the walk path, as well as the presence of people and specifically women, on the streets and ‘eyes on the street’. Each audit appears as a pin on the map and is used to compute the Safety Score of an area.

Safetipin has been designed both as a tool in the hands of individual women who can access information about safety in the city and as a method of collecting data on a large scale for city authorities to use for better planning and governance. An individual user can conduct a safety audit, pin places where she feels unsafe or has faced any form of harassment. She is also able to see all the information that has been uploaded by others and make informed decisions about moving around the city safely. Women (and men) can see the Safety Score of any place in the city and can also use it when they visit new cities.

But Safetipin also seeks to collect large scale information for helping city stakeholders improve safety using data. For the city authority, Safetipin provides large scale data that is crowd sourced and also provides a platform for interaction with citizens on their safety concerns. For example, there are over 6000 audits in the city of Delhi and this has been shared with police, transport and other stakeholders.

In order to help city governments, we are collaborating with UN-Habitat to collect data and address women’s safety in three cities – Bogota, Nairobi and Delhi. The data will be shared with key city stakeholders to ensure that it can feed into initiatives and programs to improve safety. Further, a second round of audits can be conducted to measure the change and impact of programs.

Currently we have data and safety audits in nine Indian cities. The App has also started to be used in Jakarta, Indonesia and Bogota, Colombia. Currently it is available in four languages – English, Hindi, Spanish and Bahasa. We plan to increase this as more cities join the network. We are hopeful that the data that is collected will be useful for city planners to make safer cities for women around the world.
Read more about the SafetiPinRead more about UN-Habitat and gender

Google Play Store… Personal Safety App

IHE Safety Audit Report

Safetipin and the students of Institute of Home Economics at the University of Delhi undertook a

project to conduct safety audits in the college’s neighborhood. The students of the Department of

Human Development began the semester long initiative by first building a perspective on Gender

and Mobility in the ambit of social justice. The students then had a training session on how to

conduct safety audits using the Safetipin App.

The students were then asked to create routes around their college where safety audits would be

conducted. Several safety audit walks were conducted in the Hauz Khas, Green Park, Siri Fort, IIT

Delhi area. The findings from the audits were then compiled into a report using the analytic engine

of Safetipin. The report was released on the 16th of April 2015 by Dr. Kalpana Viswanath the Co-

founder of Safetipin and Satinder Singh the SHO of Hauz Khas Police Station in the presence of the

Principal, faculty and students of IHE.

The report documents the condition of the infrastructure around the college in detail and makes

several recommendations on how the area can be made safer for students and the larger

community. The exercise of closely inspecting their college campus and their city has allowed the

students to build valuable perspective on gender, mobility and urban planning. The Safetipin team is

excited to work with other colleges and universities to carry out similar programs.

Website : - Family Tracker and Personal Safety App for Women

Google Play Store : - Personal Safety App For Women

I-Tunes Apple Store : -  Personal Safety App For Women

HOW SAFE, IS ALONE?

Before I start with this one, I’d like to apologize for my tardiness. The last few months have been incredibly busy- examinations, mastering the game of table tennis, training my hyperactive dog- made it impossible for me to sit down and think.

The idea for this article in fact, came to me while I was in the process of doing, not thinking. After two months of sleeping under tomes of legal knowledge, research and  Statutory Acts, I decided to celebrate the end of the semester by watching Avengers : Age of Ultron. Scheduling conflicts made it hard for me to go with any of my friends and at 22 going on 23, I refused to take my parents for a superhero flick.

This left me in a bit of a dilemma. Miss the movie or risk going alone? Logically, I’m sure even your brain considered the question, Why don’t you go alone? Which is exactly what my brain volunteered.

The irony is that, the simplest answer, is also the hardest. You see, in a country like India, the idea that a woman can go out alone for leisure, is quite abhorrent. A girl does not simply decide to go visit some famous monument alone. A girl does not go out to dinner, alone. And in a country where rape, street harassment and gender-related violence are common, a girl does not go out for a movie, to sit in a dimly lit movie theater, without a familiar person on either side of her, alone.

If you live in a country where the rate of violence against women is high, then I’m sure my words will resonate with you. One of my guy friends said to me the other day, somewhat defensively, that not all men are rapists. But whether a stranger is a rapist or not, is not what rules our behavior. It is the fear, that a stranger might be a rapist, that rules.

Fear is probably what caused my parents to issue a firm negative when I suggested that I might go alone. It is quite possible that they have spent far more time than I have watching the news about brutal rape cases, incidents of abuse, molestation and public assaults on young women (like the girl who was stripped and groped in public by 30 men, or the teenager who was molested in a bus in front of all the passengers and then thrown off) which has played a huge role in my parents’ mental conditioning. With an only girl child, I can understand that safety would probably be rated #1 on their priority list with fun standing at #10. I wasn’t too sure myself, having been a victim of street harassment and sundry other cases which have made me anxious, unsure and under-confident about being out and alone.

To counter the opposition, I put forward the following arguments to my parents.

a) It was going to be a daytime movie. b) I was a safe driver c) It was pretty close to home. When that didn’t wash, I made the following promises : a) I’d send an “I’m OK” text every few hours. b) I wouldn’t drive through back alleys or dingy places on the way c) I’d stay alert the whole time.

After what felt like a million years, my parents agreed. It had a lot to do with my age, and the fact that my track record is pretty sober (when I say sober I mean I’m a non-drinking, non-smoking, non-sex, non-everything-fun, boring child who’s idea of going wild is usually a good book and some iced tea).

To sum up the evening, it was wild. Yeah, really. I drove by myself. I parked by myself. I got the tickets from the kiosk by myself. I didn’t trip on the escalator. I watched the movie with my purse firmly tucked under my chin, a pepper spray within reach under the zip, and my eyes scanning the hall every few moments (which is hard when you’ve got on 3D glasses). I even peed by myself and bought popcorn by myself. It’s funny how many of us have gotten used to a guy doing all that for us (not the peeing part obviously). It’s either the Dad or the Boyfriend or the Best friend who gallantly accompanies us and brings us snacks and makes us feel safe. It was incredibly liberating to do all of that on my own, and it got me thinking, how many independent women want to do all those things : go for a long run, shop, drive, go to clubs, meditate in parks, sit at conventions, sip a latte without stopping under street lamps when it gets dark, looking over their shoulders, gripping pocket knives, avoiding eye contact, or feeling those pangs of anxiety every time a stranger stares too long or makes a sudden move.

–Jane Austen

Thankfully, there are women who do it better than I. Many of my friends are single, working, independent women who have gotten by impressively well, all on their own. But how? How does one after having heard such frightful tales of harassment, after being cautioned and curbed for most of one’s life, suddenly become self-sufficient? I asked these women the same and we came up with some things you should can keep in mind :

#1 There is absolutely no way of overstating the importance of safety gadgets. A pepper spray, a taser-gun, a pocket knife. An Indian remedy is also chilly powder. Chose your weapon. Always carry one with you.

#2 You can carry your phone and charger with you. A dead phone is a dead ally in emergency situations.

#3 Avoiding eye-contact is crucial. Most women who go out believe that this can help in drawing less attention.

#4 Keep people at home informed about your movements. When traveling by taxi or rickshaw either call someone in front of the driver or pretend to.

#5 Although fear and anxiety are common, use the adrenalin to make yourself more observant and prepared.

#6 When traveling over long distances, knowing that you’re likely to be in isolated areas, wear less revealing outfits. (This might raise a few feminist eyebrows, but most women believe that provocative outfits make them more of a target. If you agree, you can wear clothes that are more on the comfortable side, allow free movement and are less on the stylish side.)

#7 Always note down the registration number of the mode of conveyance you take. Text it to your friends or family. Traveling by public modes of transportation is always preferable.

#8 If your area has the reputation for being unsafe, then prudence would demand that you always go out with someone rather than alone. This might rankle a bit, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

#9 Try and stick to groups of women or families when you’re out in public places. They’re usually loud, chatty and safe.

#10 The city you live in is paramount when it comes to making decisions about independence. Is it a city like Delhi? Where the crime rate is obscenely high? Or is it  a city like Pune? Where it’s mostly safe and the people are civil?

#11 Guts are essential. If you do find yourself in a situation where someone threatens your safety, be loud, belligerent and aggressive. Draw attention to the man. Make a scene. Offenders usually count on fear paralyzing you to the point of silencing you. Never forget to raise your voice.

#12 And finally always be alert. There are moments when you can get lost in what you’re doing, or be deep in thought, or be in a hurry. But these moments cannot happen while you are alone, unaccompanied and unsafe. By keeping your radar tuned to suspicious behavior you can save yourself a great deal of regret.

Perpetrators often point to things like women being alone or being dressed indecently as reasons why they should be raped, harassed or molested. The general idea, is that by having the audacity to assert our independence, we are asking for it.

We are asking for something.

It also starts with an R.

But it’s not RAPE.

It’s RESPECT.

Source...Safetipin.tumblr.com

The Thing About Sexual Harassment In India

A few days ago, I met some of my friends for dinner. We were three guys and two girls, and it was arranged that the guys would drop the girls on the way back. As we drove back, the topic somehow got around to that of ‘eve-teasing’ (an exceedingly innocent-sounding term, but let’s not digress) perhaps because it was 9:30 p.m. and an ‘unsafe’ time for girls to take a bus back home.

One of my friends (let’s call him Arvind) remarked, “But all that happens in the North only and that too rarely. Not here in Bangalore.” I was taken aback. Deciding that he was feigning ignorance in order to rile me up, I said, “You know it happens everywhere and every day. Don’t pull my leg on something like this.” He continued in that matter-of-fact way, “But it doesn’t happen here, and definitely not to not-so-good-looking girls.” Now he was definitely teasing me with that second bit. However, his body-language and confidence while stating everything else made it amply clear that this poor chap was completely oblivious to both how rampant eve-teasing is and also to the thought behind it.

Still, it was unthinkable- that these guys, living with mothers and sisters, and surrounded by female co-workers and friends, had not a clue about such a prevalent problem. So I gave him one last chance. I said, “Wait a minute, do you really not know or are you pretending? Be clear now, no jokes.” To which he said, “What? Dude, these things don’t happen in Bangalore- Bangalore is safe. They only happen in the North. In places like Delhi.” The other two nodded their heads in agreement. I was shocked. Shocked that three men, born and brought up in a city, educated in a city, working as IT professionals, reading the news daily, my friends and most importantly, surrounded by women with whom they spend time, talk, work and eat, were so out of touch with reality. They had no clue!

I proceeded to give them a comprehensive talk about how they had no business being so ignorant about something that, for all they knew, the women in their own families had faced. How was it possible that these guys were so oblivious? How was it possible that they were so confident about eve-teasing being something one only read about in the news? How did they equate it with being something only ‘pretty’ girls faced?

So here I am, explaining some things that need to be known about sexual-harassment in all its forms. This is for all those men and women out there who think they know what the state-of-affairs is like in India, but don’t. Unsure if you’re one of them? Read on anyway. You never know what you may learn.

1. This happens all over the country:

There are no exemptions. No exempt states, or exempt social strata, or exempt age-brackets, or exempt kinds-of-women. It happens in villages and also the most cosmopolitan of cities. It happens at schools, and also at high-flying workplaces. Everywhere. Don’t assume.

2. Every woman you know who lives in India, has faced sexual harassment:

A reckless claim, you think? Here, try this. Ask the next woman you meet today whether she has ever faced any kind of sexual harassment in her life. She’ll probably have more than one incident. And I do really mean the next woman you meet- it could be your boss, you mother, your sister, your friend, your wife, your partner, your teacher, your grandmother. Ask, I urge you. In fact, here’s something even better. Gather all the women at your workplace, or at home, or at any gathering, and pose them with this question. Ask how many of them have not faced harassment of any form. See if even a single hand is raised.

3. Harassment has nothing to do with lust and everything to do with violence:

Leching, making lewd passes, groping and more- all these are forms of intimidation and power-display born out of an urge to control, demean and show victims ‘their place’. Which is also why ‘dress sense’ and ‘looks’ and ‘time of the day’ have nothing to do with how safe a woman is. Women wearing astronaut suits or sarees are as likely targets as those wearing shorts. Women perceived as being plain are as likely targets as those perceived as being beautiful. Women going to work at 10:00 a.m. in the morning are as likely targets as those getting back from it at 10:00 p.m. Sexual and consequently, mental harassment is perpetrated either by males who are threatened by females wielding free-will, or those who think that females are usable objects.

4. Harassment is harassment. There is no ‘big’ or ‘small’:

We seem to think that only rape is an unpardonable crime. But assault, is assault. Non-physical harassment like staring, whistling, passing comments and making lewd sounds also do damage. The exact same mindset is at the root of all these kinds of harassment, and as mentioned above, it is that of violence and control. Imagine being stared down by a bunch of people as though you were naked. Or your crotch getting stared at with a violating look reeking of objectification and disrespect. There is nothing normal or acceptable about leching and lewdness.

I’m hoping that this removes those blinkers (probably unintended) from around your eyes, and makes you aware of what’s happening around you. And that you won’t be so blatantly ignorant of one of the most prevalent crimes in society today.

Source...http://goo.gl/9a1bgA

UBER NAIROBI AND SAFETIPIN PARTNER UP TO PROVIDE SAFER RIDES FOR UBER USERS

Uber Nairobi, has announced it is working together with map-based mobile safety app, SafetiPin, to bring the best in class safety to its users.

Uber announced the partnership earlier today.

“By working together with SafetiPin on this cross-border initiative we hope to provide local communities with the technologies to enable them to travel more safely around their cities,” Kaitlin Freedman, Operations Manager, Uber Nairobi said in a statement to TechCabal.

Uber and SafetiPin collaboration was born in New Delhi, India, and the pilot project rolled out in the same location on February 25. The aim is to cover approximately 20,000 KM of city roads and areas.

“We are delighted to have Uber’s participation and support in key cities around the world. This association will provide us with a much larger data set that would otherwise not have been possible,” said Ashish Basu, Founder of SafetiPin.

SafetiPin collects data of locations based on parameters that together contribute to the perception of safety by measuring actual location conditions in order to generate a safety score for an area. The information is supplemented with comments and photographs from real users and trained safety auditors.

Sources...http://goo.gl/fovMUY