Introduction



“niiti”, a Sanskrit word means, in different contexts, policy, ethics, tenets. To us, who belong here, it is our raison d’etre, our touchstone. So we constantly turn to our ethics and tenets when we re-examine the basis of what we do and how we do it over and over again. This is our space to engage with our core, with you, our readers and companions on the path towards an equitable society in the deepest meaning of the word. Over the past years, there are several social issues and organisations that we have engaged with and been enriched with both experience and knowledge along the way. We believe that in creating a conversation platform for those engaged in the field, including some of our clients, partners, all of you out there who have reached this site wanting to be the change and others who have expertise to comment and critique, we can actually crowd-source actions and solutions for some of our most pressing social issues.

Some of these stories feature organisations and people who have been the change; others highlight innovative approaches to long-entrenched social issues; yet others point to ways in which change can be facilitated, simply. If you are inspired by them as well and motivated to replicate their work, or want to share inputs on other bright examples like these, do write to us at info@niiticonsulting.com.

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Thursday, September 6, 2012

Woman and the City

A lone woman.Walking down a deserted, dark street at night.With broken pavements. By now you're primed to hear about a crime or attempt at one, right? Let's try another one. A lone woman.Walking down a well-lit, populated street at night, with broad sidewalks.The image it conjures is totally different. Whether or not we make a conscious connection between the two, the fact remains that there is a very close link between our urban environment and the manner in which urban spaces are utilised and safety. Gender safety, in fact, is a great entry point to study this, since women are particularly vulnerable to acid attacks, kidnapping and sexual assault in large Indian cities, particularly in the Delhi NCR. A recent study in Kerala reported here also busts the common myth that women are treated better in public spaces "down South".
Simple things make a huge difference. For instance, in a safety audit conducted by several groups in Gurgaon a couple of months ago, it was discovered that there were no operational street lights on MG Road for a nearly 3km stretch, dubbed the "Mall Mile". Few of the pavements were usable, denying an escape to relative safety for a woman on foot, forcing her to use the same road from which she can be dragged into a passing car. And so on.
A simple fix: usable pavements of the correct width and height and operational streetlights, can create a far larger measure of safety for women frequenting this stretch. There are, of course, other issues to be dealt with, chief amongst which is the difference between private security and public safety. Indians who can afford it, tend to concentrate on the former and don't bother about the latter. It is the already marginalised who are left to bear the burden of increasing privatisation of security – particularly in cities like Gurgaon where the private security guards outnumber the police force by as much as five times – which translates into reduced public safety. This interesting piece by RakaChoudhury throws more light on the paradox.
Apart from fixing the obvious, like streetlights and pavements, we need to call for a conscious rethinking of our cities from the perspective of all, rather than the privileged few who feel that "good walls make good neighbours" and build them ever higher.
Encouraging beginnings have been made in transportation at least. Admittedly, though only for the privileged, Sakha Cabs offers the services of women for women and was featured in Aamir Khan's popular TV show on social issues in the episode on violence against women. In various parts of the NCR groups like Jagori, Gurgaon Girlcott, IUDI, Let's Walk Gurgaon, Saksham Gurgaon and others are campaigning for a safer city through public spaces.
We wish them all the very best 
Niiti consulting partners with Gurgaon Girlcott and Jagori for its Gender in the City campaign and is in the process of formalising an MoU with Jagori. Richa Dubey works with niiti consulting and started the Gurgaon Girlcott campaign
A history graduate from Delhi University who believes in "more is less". Richa loves writing on a wide spectrum of topics from textiles to Sufism to technology. She has anchored web communications at Cisco India, led public affairs for a prospective national innovation university on urbanization, and is presently building an advocacy strategy for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative’s India office. In her 16 year career in communications, she also has dabbled as a content specialist for print, new media and television. Richa is also a self-confessed textile lover and a voracious reader.

7 comments:

  1. Safe, well lit and accessible public spaces are good for everyone, not just for vulnerable groups like women, children, disabled and elderly. Placemaking is being used as a concept internationally to revitalize public spaces. We must campaign for a focus on public spaces and streets in our cities. It is our problem, not someone else's!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Mukta. We totally agree. Gender is really just an entry point into this discussion. There are so many intersections to this, particularly in face of the increasing number of marginalised sections in urban society that we really need to make our public spaces safer and shift the focus from private and exclusive to public and inclusive.

      Best
      Richa

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  2. Great post! Coming here from the Womensweb FB page. Would like to suggest a book I read recently on this topic. Why Loiter?
    http://www.flipkart.com/why-loiter-0143415956/p/itmczyrrzrsxn3hy?pid=9780143415954&ref=0a950fe3-419b-4129-9a34-c3df3d5e3b70

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sandhya,

      Thanks for the encouragement and the book suggestion. Why Loiter is a great book that I have been wanting to get my hands on. Heard about it some months ago from a friend at Jagori.

      Best
      Richa

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  3. Dunno if it is even possible to make Delhi-NCR roads safe. I grew up in Kolkata where a basic level of safety, and more importantly -- the freedom to dress and to behave in whatever way -- is always present. North India discriminates between men and women right from childhood and in every walk of life. Frankly I don't see much hope :-(

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    Replies
    1. Debo, I believe all things are possible. Particularly after seeing the ways in which other countries have drastically transformed their environments and not just in terms of gender equality. Who would have thought that the US would have a president of colour, back in the 1800s? Or even in the 1950s?

      To be honest, even five years ago, I would never have imagined that college going girls in the NCR would be able to board public transport wearing shorts without getting harassed. But they are.

      And North India, as many problems as it does have, is not the worst culprit for gender harassment - Kerala is worse, despite having high literacy levels. Not that this is a defense. There are serious issues with the NCR in particular, but not trying is not the answer.

      Best
      Richa

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  4. Well, Your blog is really genuine and i think all these serious social issues like Crimes against Women’s in Delhi NCR region need to take attention asap. So, visit the following link to take some initiative against such crimes.
    Crimes against Women’s

    ReplyDelete