Making cities safe for women and girls by UN Women & agencies 6:06am 24th Feb, 2013   The World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty is focusing on how to tackle violence against women and girls in public spaces    There is no city or country in the world where women and girls live free of the fear of violence. No leader can claim: this is not happening in my backyard.    In 2012, two high-profile cases ignited public outrage in their nations, which spread around the world: the shooting of Pakistani schoolgirl and girls education activist Malala Yousafzai, and the gang-rape on a bus and tragic death of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi. In every region around the world, countless other cases occurred that did not make global headlines.    Whether walking city streets, using public transport, going to school, or selling goods at the market, women and girls are subject to the threat of sexual harassment and violence. This reality of daily life limits women"s freedom to get an education, to work, to participate in politics – or to simply enjoy their own neighbourhoods.    Yet despite its prevalence, violence and harassment against women and girls in public spaces remains a largely neglected issue, with few laws or policies in place to address it.    This week in Dublin, around 600 delegates – from mayors to leaders from the private sector and civil society – gathered for the eighth forum of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty. They came from all over the world to discuss innovative approaches to make cities smart, safe and sustainable.    One approach is the Safe Cities global initiative. This partnership of municipal governments, local communities and organisations, and the UN, is working to make urban environments safer for women and girls.    Initially launched by UN Women and UN-Habitat with five pilot cities – Cairo, Egypt; Kigali, Rwanda; New Delhi, India; Quito, Ecuador; and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – the initiative has expanded to more than 20 cities and continues to grow.    One of the most important lessons we have learned is that each city is unique and requires a local response. This can only be achieved by conducting a diagnostic study with data and evidence, and engaging community members. Cities have taken actions to improving the lighting and design of streets and buildings, training and sensitizing police, and hiring more women police officers. These practical responses can make a world of difference.    A diagnostic study in New Delhi, for instance, revealed that a common strategy against harassment was to simply keep girls and women at home. One girl explained: "If we tell our parents about boys harassing us, they would blame us only and say that it is our fault … Our parents might even stop us going out of the house."    Findings like this spur action, since keeping women and girls home is not a solution. Residents organised community collectives to build awareness, report crimes, and work with authorities to improve public safety and justice.    In Quito, women were encouraged to break the silence about their experiences through the Cartas de Mujeres (Letters from Women) campaign and a study was undertaken. The city government amended the ordinance on eliminating violence against women to include violence in public spaces. The government received around 10,000 letters.    In Port Moresby, 55% of women market vendors reported experiencing violence in the previous year. In response, local authorities are working with a women"s market vendors association to take action.    In Cairo, the national government adopted women"s safety audits whereby local women identify safety and security conditions in their neighbourhoods, which are incorporated into urban planning.    In Rio de Janeiro, communities are identifying safety risks in 10 of the cities high-risk slums (favelas). Trained women and adolescent girls used their smartphones to map safety risks such as faulty infrastructure or services, obscured walking routes, and lack of lighting. These initial findings were presented to local authorities, and are being used to develop solutions.    UN Women is partnering with IT companies to find ways to use mobile technology to stop sexual harassment and violence in public spaces.    Further efforts are expected to develop through a partnership between UN Women and the United Cities and Local Governments organisation. Efforts will focus on collecting local data on female political participation, and expanding successful Safe Cities activities.    Here in Dublin, I am pleased to hear that Lord Mayor Naoise O Muiri has expressed interest in partnering with the Safe City initiative, and Dublin will be the first city in western Europe to join us.    As more and more women, men and young people raise their voices and become active in local government, and more local leaders take action for the safety of women and girls, change happens.    The meeting this week recognises that making cities smarter, safer and more sustainable requires partnership and collaboration – between residents, government, the private sector and civil society. By including women in decision-making, city governments will be in a better position to fulfill their responsibility to ensure the safety of their residents, especially women and girls.    • Michelle Bachelet is the executive director of UN Women and former president of Chile.    Marking International Day, UN calls for eliminating violence against women.    United Nations officials have issued a call to governments and citizens across the world to take action to end violence against women in all its forms and in all its contexts.    “Look around at the women you are with. Think of those you cherish in your families and your communities, and understand that there is a statistical likelihood that many of them have suffered violence in their lifetime,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message to mark International Women"s Day, observed annually on 8 March.    The focus of the Day this year is on ending violence against women and girls. According to UN figures, up to 7 in 10 women globally will be beaten, raped, abused, or mutilated in their lifetimes, and while some 125 countries have laws that penalize domestic violence, there are still 603 million women that live in countries where it is not a crime.    Mr. Ban recalled that 2012 was a year of “shocking” crimes of violence against women and girls. “One young woman was gang-raped to death. Another committed suicide out of a sense of shame that should have been attached to the perpetrators. Young teens were shot at close range for daring to seek an education.    “These atrocities, which rightly sparked global outrage, were part of a much larger problem that pervades virtually every society and every realm of life.”    The Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Michelle Bachelet, welcomed the progress countries have made in the past years to eliminate violence against women, but stressed much more needs to done.    “I have hope because awareness and action are rising for women"s rights. A belief is growing that enough is enough,” Ms. Bachelet said in her message. “But I am outraged because women and girls continue to suffer high levels of discrimination, violence, and exclusion. They are routinely blamed and made to feel shame for the violence committed against them, and they too often search in vain for justice.”    She called on governments to keep their promises and protect human rights in line with international agreements and promote a change in attitudes that encourages equal participation and decision-making in their societies.    “Women"s issues are global issues that deserve urgent priority. There can be no peace, no progress as long as women live under the fear of violence,” she added.    In her message for the Day, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay noted that while violence against women is one of the most pervasive violations of human rights, it is often met with indifference by authorities in many countries, leading to a lack of protection of victims and prosecution of perpetrators.    Public outcry is a first step that can lead to change in this regard, Ms. Pillay said, pointing to cases in India, South Africa and Papua New Guinea where public outrage has prompted authorities to act.    “Public demands for action to end the routine atrocities so often experienced by women and girls have inspired government leaders to make important statements of intent, and stung apathetic police forces into launching investigations,” Ms. Pillay said.    However, she warned that temporary outrage and passing legislation is not enough, and underlined that eliminating gender violence must be a sustained effort.    “We must not allow this attention to fade,” she said. “Each country will need to find its own response to ensure accountability for sexual and gender-based crimes, but continuing to turn our backs on what is happening to millions of women across the world is not the answer.”    UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark said violence against women remains a huge obstacle to equality, peace, and the achievement of the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).    “This fight is not just an important end in itself,” she said. “Gender-based violence is a means by which inequalities between men and women are perpetuated throughout the world. As such, it is essential to address if we are to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and accelerate development progress more broadly.”    In addition to immediate health consequences, violence has a long-term impact on women and girls, ranging from education to employment and economic status, to participation in politics, Miss Clark said.    It is also costly for countries as responses to survivors and lost productivity can be as high as $32.9 billion in countries such Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. In developing countries, domestic violence also causes a loss in earnings.    The heads of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) also highlighted the link between gender-based violence and development, in particular how it affects countries food security, as women make up more than 40 per cent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries.    In a joint statement, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze and WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin underscored that “in spite of the major role played by women in producing food and feeding their families, little attention has been paid to the connection between gender, violence and food security.”    "If we unite to increase food security for women, we also nourish the minds and bodies of whole communities".    They pointed to the link between discrimination against women and malnutrition, since boys are prioritized over girls when receiving food in their households, and daughters are many times married off during times of famine so there is one less mouth to feed.    Women are also vulnerable to being forced to trade sex for food, and are at risk of rape whilst spending hours collecting firewood. In addition, they often lack land ownership rights.    “Improving equality in women"s access to agricultural inputs such as seeds, tools, fertilisers, education and public services would contribute significantly to achieving food security and better nutrition for all,” they said.    In spite of the major role played by women in producing food and feeding their families, little attention has been paid to the connection between gender, violence and food security. Gender discrimination fuels female malnutrition and disempowerment.    Very often, discriminatory practices in rural communities generate biases in intra-household food distribution, whereby women and girls usually have access to limited and less nutritious food.    Poor families may marry off under-age daughters during times of famine so there"s one less mouth to feed. Refugee women may be forced to trade sex for food. Women spend hours collecting firewood to cook the family meal, leaving themselves vulnerable to rape and other attacks.    Widows are persecuted over land ownership but, all too often, national laws favour men over women. Domestic violence has an overall negative impact on agricultural production and family well-being.    For many women struggling to feed themselves and their children today, food security would mean personal and legal security.    If we unite to increase food security for women, we also nourish the minds and bodies of whole communities. If a girl can attend school in a safe environment, she can reach her full mental and physical potential. She can avoid early marriage, forced marriage or other forms of violence.    If a woman can register the birth of her children, legally own land and the money she earns, she can contribute to the benefit of her society and its economic development.    Women make up more than 40 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. Improving equality in women"s access to agricultural inputs (such as seeds, tools, fertilisers), education and public services would contribute significantly to achieving food security and better nutrition for all.    Empowering women and girls legally and economically creates opportunities for development, enhances their political voice and reduces their vulnerability to violence. Food security links the diverse elements needed to build a peaceful and fair future for them.    Ensuring women are safe in their workplace must also be a priority, said the Director General of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Kandeh K. Yumkella. With millions of women being employed in the manufacturing sector, violence and sexual harassment prevents them from engaging in productive work.    Mr. Yumkella said empowerment is important to provide women with access to entrepreneurial and business skills, technologies and credit, so that they can bring about economic change for themselves. “The economic empowerment of women indirectly reduces violence against women by increasing women"s choices and bargaining power at work and in the home,” he said.    The Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, called on countries to develop crime prevention policies that target domestic and family-related violence.    According to UNODC statistics, some 84,000 females were the victims of homicide globally in 2010. In Europe alone, 18 women are killed every day on average and 12 of them are murdered at the hands of their intimate partners or other family members.    Violence or the fear of violence can also prevent women from negotiating safer sex, said the Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Michel Sidibé, which makes them more vulnerable to contracting HIV.    “Today, half of all people living with HIV are women. Every minute one young woman is infected with HIV,” he said. “This is not acceptable. Only when we value a girl"s health and welfare as highly as a boy"s, only when we listen and act equally to women"s voices – then can we have a chance at ending this epidemic.”    * UN Commission on the Status of Women – Webcasts. (UN Women)    Throughout the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, we are embedding live webcasts of official proceedings and selected side events. They are archived on this page: http://www.unwomen.org/news-events/in-focus/CSW57/webcasts/    * 10 Facts About Women And Hunger. (World Food Programme)    http://www.wfp.org/stories/10-facts-about-women-and-hunger Visit the related web page
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