To end violence against women and encourage the economic, political and social achievements of women, each year around the world the International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. The 2016 theme for the day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”.
Since the past several centuries, the women of India were never given equal status and opportunities as compared to that of their male counterparts. According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS), 34 per cent of women in Odisha experience physical violence. Women’s fear of violence and crime affects their lifestyle and routines and the way they experience urban areas and the public realm in particular. Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. The sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 provide protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto has been enacted by the Parliament of India. The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. Articles 14, 15 not only grant equality to women, but also empower the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women and protect the rights of women. Articles 16, 39, 42 and 51 favour gender mainstreaming .There are also several sections of the Indian Penal Code that deal with sexual harassment. In spite of legal measures violence against women not yet completely eliminated.
The women and girls in Bhubaneswar are not safe in different public and work places. This has come several times in newspaper headlines and media. Besides, gender-based violence is present at various levels, beginning with discrimination in education, nutrition, employment and wages. State capital Bhubaneswar leads in the Smart City race. A city cannot be smart and sustainable city, if women and girls are not safe and live in fear of violence. People will not be interested to stay in a city which is not safe for women.
International cities have either implemented or are experimenting with smart technologies in the areas of intelligent transport management systems and public safety. Countries like China have already built Smart Cities that have building with sensor monitoring traffic flows and security cameras. The data can be directly sent to the city administrators. Bhubaneswar has taken the initiative to install closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras at different locations of the city. It is the first of its kind initiative in Odisha and is being utilized as a tool to control crime and enhance traffic movement in Bhubaneswar. Bhubaneswar is one of the first cities in India that has empowered its citizens by setting up a state-of-the-art online grievance redressal system. This system, more popularly known as ‘My City My Pride’ (MCMP) was launched in early 2015 with an objective of providing a citizen-centric approach towards online service delivery. Through this real-time system, citizens have become active participants in the governance of the city.
The United Nations observance on March 8 will reflect on how to accelerate the 2030 agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals. It will equally focus on new commitments under UN Women’s Step It Up initiative, and other existing commitments on gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights.
Some key targets of the 2030 agenda are, by 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes; that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education; end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere; eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation; eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage.
According to the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report 2013, India ranks 132 out of 187 countries on the gender inequality index. The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is a new index for measurement of gender disparity that was introduced in the 2010 Human Development Report. According to the UNDP, this index is a composite measure which captures the loss of achievement, within a country, due to gender inequality, and uses three dimensions to do so: Reproductive health, empowerment, and labour market participation.
A Smart City must emphasise the prevention and elimination of violence against women through human rights-based solutions. Women can access comprehensive services as part of a city’s design. A positive change in a society’s attitude towards women is equally important to change perceptions on gender norms and behaviours of people. A Smart City must enable its women with social security. A gender-inclusive urban plan will not only safeguard women’s rights to decent jobs but also put an end to discrimination and violence at the workplace, ensuring social security. Besides, engaging women in the Smart City planning and design of these cities will go a long way in addressing their needs.
Safety is a part of what makes a city smart and hence it can be said without a doubt that safe cities are the stepping stones to smart cities. Women’s Safety Audits (WSA) can help to build smart communities. WSA is a participatory tool that is used for collecting and assessing information about perceptions of safety in public spaces. Harassment of women at workplace is a cause and concern for discrimination and inequality of women in the society. It can be addressed through implementation of proper legal measures in Smart City planning.
The Smart City should be inclusive and equitable. It is important for the policymakers to adopt a gender-inclusive urban plan. Smart cities are those which use multiple intelligence systems to gather public safety information effectively and respond to events efficiently, along with predicting and preventing suspicious activities. In the approach document of the Smart Cities Mission by the Government of India, it is clearly laid down that one of the key objectives is to promote cities that provide smart solutions for safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly. It can be addressed through implementation of proper legal measures and change in attitude.
(Dr Paraharaj is a faculty member in Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)