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6C. SAFETY
65 Kneeshaw, S. (2018) Gender-sensitive public space? Placemaking and spatial justice through the perspective of gender , URBACT, available at: https://urbact.eu/gender-sensitive-public-space-placemaking-and-spatial- justicethrough-perspective-gender
66 IOM, Migrant Women and Girls Toolbox , see at: https://belgium.iom.int/migrant-women-girls-toolbox 67 Greater London Authority, Women s Night Safety Charter, available at: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/
artsand-culture/24-hour-london/womens-night-safety-charter 68 Baltic Urban Lab, Interreg Central Baltic, financed by the European Regional Development Fund, Safety walks for
citizens in Turku , available at: https://www.balticurbanlab.eu/goodpractices/safety-walks-citizens-turku
Women and girls have the right to be and to feel safe in the city. But all too often they have to adjust their lives, expectations, and routines in order to just feel safe. There is a well evidenced disconnect between perceptions and reality of safety. Safer Sweden research showed that fear of being a victim is generally 10-15 percentage points higher in women than men and 50% of women reported feeling unsafe in vulnerable areas65. This underlines how often women s internalised fears affect their perceptions of and behaviour within public spaces. Fear of and actual attack and harassment is not equal across different groups of women: women of colour face danger due to racism, as well as sexism, LGBTQI+ women are confronted with homophobia and transphobia and Muslim women are at risk of Islamphobic aggression. Recognising the complexity of intersecting identities in safety, the NGO Femmes en détresse A.S.B.L, with the support of the City of Luxembourg, has developed a toolbox that aims at providing tailored support to migrant women and girls who have survived sexual and gender-based violence66. Public places designed and controlled by men create anxiety for women. Measures to counteract this can include organising social activities that are welcoming to women, better
lighting, easy access to public transport, liveliness at different times of day, commerce, markets and parks. There are many initiatives in which women in a community reclaim space by organising to gather, socialise and make their presence felt. On public transport, safety can be enhanced by good levels of staffing, information, wi-fi connectivity and the ability to plan journeys effectively. City solutions can take the form of campaigns, Night Safety Charters67 such as in London (England) or Safety Walks68 as in Turku (Finland) where the city worked collaboratively with women s groups, parents associations, businesses and residents to discuss how they feel about the environment and what could be done to improve it and make it safer. These are good examples of action for change. Local authorities can also make sure there are transparent reporting procedures and data collection about safety hotspots. Some policy makers may be unaware of the extent and level of these fears and the amount of thought women and girls put into staying safe in the city. Including women s voices in urban and mobility planning is therefore key to creating better environments for all. Tools such as the Safer Cities programme from UN-Habitat can offer a good starting point.
50% of women reported feeling unsafe in vulnerable areas
Women are 10-15% more likely than ment to feel unsafe in public space
50% of w men repo ted feeling u safe in vul erable reas
Women are 10-15% more likely than ment to feel unsafe in public space
