Gender diversity on streets must for women’s safety

Findings of the safety audits recommends increased security in winter

pujab

Puja Bhattacharjee | December 22, 2014




Despite all claims and administrative measure, safety on Delhi street is far from satisfactory.

A women safety audit has found that that gender diversity on the streets has the highest impact on the feeling of safety and comfort in being out and it outranks other factors like visible security, lighting and visibility.

Two years after the brutal gangrape of a 23 year student on a moving bus in Delhi and days after the rape in an Uber cab, representatives from 54 civil society organisations including Jagori, Safetipin, CFAR, Lawyers Collective, AIPWA, Women's Feature Service, Sakha Cabs, and several eminent women like the former additional solicitor general, Indira Jaising, supreme court advocate Vrinda Grover Kavita Krishnan, Annie Raja and Pamela Philipose conducted safety audits on approximately 60 kilometres of Delhi roads.

Data on the gaps that exist in public infrastructure, social usage of public space, public transport and policing were recorded using the mobile application Safetipin.

Visibility was found to be low in all the areas audited. The report says ‘this means that there aren't enough eyes on the street - no presence of vendors, shops/doors/houses facing the street. This is a serious issue of urban design where we see high walls coming up all over the city and natural surveillance being reduced.’

The Munirka bus stop to Mahipalpur Munirka route ranked the highest on security both in terms of police at specific locations and patrolling on motorbike. But all over visible security is quite low.

Based on the findings it has been recommended that gender sensitive options for improving last mile connectivity needs to be explored, increase in the number of women drivers working in public transportation and security measures need to be scaled up in winter with more vigilant police on the beat among others.

Nearly 150 safety audit visits were conducted on December 16, 2014 between 7.30 pm and 11 pm. The audit measured eight parameters - lighting, openness, visibility, crowd, gender diversity, security, walk path and nearness to public transport.

Each group covered a designated route using three modes of transport and also walked parts of the route. In addition to this, each audit also asks the auditor to rate whether they feel safe or not in a public place. Each audit then appears as a pin on the Safetipin map which is then visible to anyone else who looks at the app. The group audited routes in North, South, East and West Delhi.

The entire report can be accessed at http://jagori.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Report-on-Safey-Audits_Dec-16FINAL.pdf

Comments

 

Other News

At Davos, Maharashtra inks MoUs worth Rs 15.70 lakh crore

The Maharashtra government has signed 54 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs. 15.70 lakh crore at the ongoing WOrld Economic Forum in Davos. The highest ever investment proposals of the state government are expected to generate 15.95 lakh jobs. The largest MoU was inked with Relianc

How Renewable Energy revolution is sweeping across India

As India accelerates its transition towards a sustainable future, its renewable energy (RE) sector has witnessed unprecedented growth. In 2024, the country made significant strides in solar and wind energy installations, policy advancements, and infrastructural improvements, setting the stage for ambitious

Celebrating ten years of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

The ministry of women and child development is set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign, marking a decade of relentless efforts to protect, educate, and empower the girl child in India. This milestone aligns with the vision of a Viksit Bharat 2047 and the global

Bhashini provides translation support at this great congregation of languages

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MietY) has offered technological support at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj being held from January 13 to February 26, 2025 with the integration of Bhashini for multilingual accessibility. ‘Digital Lost & Found Solution&rs

CSIR’s new Innovation Complex to foster translational research, industry collaboration

India is home to many small and big industries where research is carried out, yet many innovators are not able to find a platform to bring their ideas into fruition. Despite having a vast network of government laboratories that perform ground breaking research, these innovations struggle to translate into

Deepa Malik and the incredible story of her indomitable spirit

Bring It On: The Incredible Story of My Life By Deepa Malik HarperCollins, 312 pages, Rs 499

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter