Safe public spaces
Women and girls have the right to move freely in safe public spaces in urban and rural areas, and online. Yet all too often, sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence occur in these settings. The lack of safety in public spaces is a universal challenge. Gender gaps in perceptions of safety persist, with women reporting feeling less safe walking alone at night.
Women and girls experiencing multiple forms of discrimination due to gender, age, ability, ethnicity, or other factors face heightened risks of sexual harassment. Public spaces offer opportunities for cultural expression, recreation, political participation, employment, and community-building.
When women and girls do not feel safe, they may retreat and avoid these spaces altogether. Experiencing less safety in public spaces has multiple consequences for women, families, and communities.
This results in multiple harms, including lost opportunities to:
- go to school
- work safely during the day and after dark
- earn income, including in public workspaces
- mobilize for causes they believe in
- play sports
- move independently using different modes of transport
Everyone has a role to play in ensuring women’s and girls’ safety
Centering the voices and ideas of women and girls in the design and management of public spaces, including through multisectoral partnerships, can improve safety and respond to their rights, needs, and concerns.
Some key strategies to make public spaces safer:
- Local governments and urban planners can use participatory methodologies to address gaps in data on sexual harassment and other forms of violence against women in public spaces to inform policies and programmes.
- National and local governments can adopt specific legal and policy frameworks to prevent and respond to sexual harassment.
- Multisectoral, multistakeholder networks and partnerships dedicated to creating safe public spaces with and for women and girls, including representation of local women as agents of change, can be established.
- Gender-responsive urban and transport planning that prioritizes safety and considers the needs of women, men, boys, and girls, including better street lighting and signage, addressing accessibility gaps, greening public spaces, access to basic services, and opportunities for economic empowerment, can be institutionalized by local, regional, and national governments.
- Evidence-driven, rights-based responses, and prevention measures can be adapted to the local level, supported by adequate human and financial resources to address women’s safety in public spaces.
- Galvanize action by integrating safe public spaces into local and national government plans in different sectors and into funded national action plans to end violence against women and girls.
