Safe Cities for Women and Girls

A shocking one in three women will face violence in her lifetime. While cities can hold huge potential for the world’s poorest women and girls, the constant threat of violence is holding far too many back. That’s why ActionAid is taking action to make cities safer for women and girls, together with local community groups, women’s groups and with men, boys and governments, from Brazil to Liberia to the Netherlands.

Why Safe Cities?

Currently around 54% of the world’s population is living in urban settings and this number is projected to grow to 66% by 2050. This rapid urbanization leads to an increase in women and girls’ visibility and mobility, but also vulnerability, in cities. Their increased independence is not being readily accepted in many countries. Their behaviour is sometimes considered to challenge traditional gender roles and is often associated with a Western influence that many men and members of the older generations disapprove with.

Because of the increased presence of women in the city, violence against women has become increasingly common and is one of the highest risks women face in public spaces. Sexual harassment including catcalling, unwanted sexual gestures, comments or requests for sexual relations and assault including rape occur on a daily basis, and are often dismissed and normalized by police, communities, local leaders and by women themselves. This is hindering women’s ability of living their lives fully as many feel forced to change their behaviour or avoid school or work due to fear of violence. Socio-cultural barriers for women urgently need to be tackled by government based structural changes for women to be able to fully enjoy public spaces.

ActionAid’s approach to women

ActionAid believes that women have the right to feel safe so that they can participate in society in the best possible way. In accordance with our Strategic Objective on women’s rights, we adopt a holistic rights-based approach to women and the city; we acknowledge and defend the women’s right to access public services, their right to live free from violence and harassment in public spaces, their right to move freely without fear, their right to report cases of assault and receive justice and finally, their right to enjoy all aspects of life as equal to men. ActionAid has been a key player in illustrating how public services could make cities safer for women.

ActionAid’s Safe Cities Campaign

The good news is that women around the world are already coming together, calling on governments, businesses, leaders and individuals to act now for safe cities for women. In ActionAid’s country programmes, women are demanding that their governments start making women’s safety a priority. We are campaigning against the patriarchal attitudes and inequality that promote this violence directed at women.

ActionAid’s Safe Cities for Women campaign is currently running in 19 countries and aims to hold governments to account to make streets, public places, work places, learning institutions and transportation safer, so that women and girls are able to share in the vast benefits of their cities. This can only happen if we demand that decision makers build women’s safety into the construction of cities, ensure public services meet the needs of women and girls, end sexual violence against women in cities and towns, and end impunity of sex attackers.