Suburb March 2019

“
Small interventions like
shifting a bus stop by few
meters, putting a light in a
shady lane or even
presence of a toilet can
greatly improve the safety
and security of women.
”
and negative effect on women’s security;
harassment and violence spiked in many
cities.
So, while we still continue to see many dark
street light poles at nightwhich surely
impacts safety of women.
2. Natural surveillance
Jane Jacobs argued in her book from 1961
about “eyes on streets.” This was basically
form of natural surveillance; the more the
number of people, the safer the streets and
public spaces become. We could
encourage activities and porosity on our
streets which can be created by restricting
the height of boundary walls and by
creating a busy informal seating or cafés
around the long streets to create a watchful
eye.
3. Safe Transit
As per 2011 Census, 45 percent women
walk to work, while the number of men who
walk to work in only 27 percent. However,
in terms of usage of public transport, the
pattern is different. Around 82 percent
users of buses in India are men while only
18 percent women use buses. But when it
comes to women safety, the big question
arises, “Does public transport provides
women safety?” Unfortunately, no. Safe
travel is critical to enable women and girls
to access education, jobs, and healthcare.
However, this remains a much-neglected
area with little data and few laws, policies,
and initiatives to prevent and address it.
4. Inclusive infrastructure
In surveys it shows that women need space
to feel comfortable therefore, increasing
the width of footpath could result in
greater use by women. In Bangladesh,
separate toilet facilities at market and
transportation hubs resulted in over 50
percent increase in women working in
construction projects. The designing of
public spaces should be done keeping not
just the average man in mind but also the
requirements of women.
5. Responsive enforcement
It’s often seen that in case of issues
surrounding women safety, perpetrators
usually think that they will get away with
prosecution of their crime. And in most
cases,sadly they do. A victim finds it
difficult to file a First Information Report
(FIR) and if done so she finds herself
chocked with the questions and the look on
faces of the people that surround her.
Secondly a robust and speedy mechanism
to record and address the complaints shall
give confidence to them to fight for their
rights and justice. s
The writer of the
article is Head -
Integrated
Transport and
Road Safety
Sustainable Cities
at WRI India.
March 2019 | suburb life 29