To raise awareness and trigger action to end violence against Women, the UN observes International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25.
The women and girls in Odisha are not safe in different public and work places. According to National Crime Records Bureau report, the number of molestation cases is a whopping up to 2,251 in the State in year 2015, rising from 1,978 in 2014. In 2014, Odisha was ranked sixth among 35 States and union territories in the number of rape cases registered and in 2015 it has been ranked as the fifth region for assault cases. Violence against women, especially in public spaces, is under-recognized and underreported. They experience a particular feeling of insecurity which can restrict their activities in a city.
The Safer Cities programme aims to build safe, accountable and inclusive cities, especially for adolescent girls and women.
Bhubaneswar got the score of 78.83 points and topped in the smart city list. When Bhubaneswar was formed in 1948, it covered a mere 26 sq. km, and had a population of 40,000. Today, the city spans over 135 sq. km, and has more than a million people living in it. More than two-third of the population increase has been because of migration from the hinterlands.
This has also given rise to slums. As per the estimates of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, 35 per cent of the city’s population lives in more than 300 slums.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) collaboration envisions a smart city where there will be special focus on the needs of young people, girls and women.
Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) has decided to engage experts who will teach residents how to remain socially safe, and secure to ensure social security and equality among citizens. The experts appointed will undertake safety audits and hold various community engagement programmes in different parts of the city.
While the UNFPA's population database will help plan and deliver services, the safety audits will enable the administrators to draw up specific plans for specific sections of people. Planning and designing safe public spaces for women and girls is the process whereby urban planners, designers, architects, women and other community actors collaborate to make the physical features of public spaces safe and welcoming for women and girls. In safe cities for women and girls initiative, it is necessary that the safety needs of women and girls are taken into account in planning and design.
Safety planning and design for women and girls is important because it creates public spaces where women and all users have equal opportunity to be healthy, secure and happy. This kind of planning is based on the fact that the physical design of urban spaces affects women’s use and enjoyment of the public realm.
Planning and designing safe public spaces for women and girls requires constant attention to physical and social characteristics of space. It also requires constant evaluation of the social and physical implications of the planning and design process.
Local authorities and city management have a crucial role to play in the prevention of violence against women in public spaces.
A safe city for women and girls is a city where women and girls can enjoy public spaces and public life without fear of being assaulted. Safer Cities Programmes can be organised in different cities which will contribute to a better understanding of gender-based violence on the city level and the development of adequate urban planning tools to prevent it.
(Dr Praharaj teaches at Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)