 | Cover of Global Assessment on Women's Safety |
UN-HABITAT recently launched two new publications aimed at making cities safer for women. The books were released at the 2nd Metropolis Women International Network Forum in Seoul. UN-HABITAT initiated the Global Assessment on Women’s Safety to fill a void in information-sharing between organisations and community bodies, many of which conduct innovative work to promote safety and security for girls in cities, but are largely unaware of each others efforts. “To create inclusive cities that respect the rights of everyone, we need to create conditions and physical environments where women, men, girls and boys can live, work, go to school, move around and socialise without fear of harm,†says Mrs Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, in the foreward of the publication. Three partners, the Huairou Commission, the Latin American Woman and Habitat Network (Red Mujer y Habitat de America Latina) and Women in Cities International helped to design the survey, while the Huairou Commission also collected and interpreted the results. The Huairou Commission is an international network of grassroots women’s organisations and development partners. The Global Assessment found that the most frequently used international tool was the women’s safety audit, which empowers local women and recognises their role as experts in their own communities.  | Cover of Women's Safety Audits |
During the audits, women walk their neighbourhoods to note the factors in the physical environment which make them feel unsafe. They note down the details, and then work with local decision-makers to improve safety.
Women in Cities International worked further with UN-HABITAT to produce Women’s Safety Audits:What Works and Where?. Ms. Melanie Lambrick, an analyst for Women in Cities said that the key strength of such safety audits was their adaptability, as shown by its use in virtually all regions of the world. |
