Long considered unsafe for women, Delhi is seeking to change its image with the government partnering the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

“As Delhi is the destination point for number of problems, focus is on safety of women in the city,” Rajiv Kale, Director, Delhi government's department of women and child development told Governance Now on the sidelines of the launch of new global initiative to make cities safer for women.

“We are looking forward to working with the UNIFEM and other stakeholders (referring to civil society groups) and different departments of Delhi government will collaborate with them in ensuring the women of the capital do feel secure while using public spaces and crowded public transports,” Kale added.

Two in every three women in Delhi have faced some form of sexual harassment in 2009, a survey released in August by Jagori, an NGO working in the field of women said, based on a sample of 5,010 women and men.

The global initiativ for safe cities was launched here on Monday under which Delhi partners with Quito (Ecuador), Cairo (Egypt), Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) and Kigali (Rwanda) focussing on women living in slums.

The global survey launched by UNIFEM on Monday says based on country data that 15 to 76 percent of women in the world experience physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their life time.

“Sexual harassment in public spaces is ignored by policies, laws and budgets,” Ines Alberdi, executive director of UNIFEM said in the press conference.

“Safe cities for women and girls is part of the answer. All five cities show great promise. Their governments have pledged strong support, in partnership with civil society, specialists and other UN agencies,” she said.

The new initiative will ‘focus on needed policy and legislative reforms; urban planning and design of public spaces; civic awareness; improvements in public transport and policing; provision and maintenance of public infrastructure and services.’

“Focusing on slum areas, impoverished neighbourhoods and excluded groups, these efforts will work to empower women and their communities in diverse settings in five cities,” Anne F Stenhammer, Regional Programme Director, UNIFEM, South Asia said.

She added that these models and strategies can then be replicated across major cities of the world.