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Sexist violence as an exponent of urban inequality

2020-11-27T00:55:57.150Z


On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we demand a gender vision in the public policies of our cities and metropolises


Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is one of the gravest and most tolerated human rights violations in the world.

It takes place in all parts of urban space: at home, at work, in public squares, parks, markets, streets, bathrooms or public transport.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, on November 25, should invite us not only to make visible and denounce this worrying situation, which has been greatly worsened during the covid-19 pandemic, but also to demand the incorporation of a gender vision in all public policies of our cities and metropolises.

MORE INFORMATION

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That women and girls feel unsafe in big cities is no surprise to anyone.

Around the world, unwanted attention and harassment, fear of assault and abuse when traveling alone, after night and even in broad daylight change the way they experience city life, according to the NGO Plan International.

More than ever, the Covid-19 crisis has revealed to us that, indeed, they experience public space in a different way than men and boys, since they are victims of various forms of inequality, discrimination and violence.

Current measures such as social distancing and curfews have reduced the number of people on the street, which has led to an increased risk of sexual violence;

This reality may further affect women's autonomy and access to employment and essential services during confinement, according to UN Women.

In other words, violence in urban spaces is one of the main obstacles to their participation as full citizens.

They experience public space in a different way than men and boys, as they are victims of various forms of inequality, discrimination and violence.

Gender-based violence is also committed in the private or domestic environment, and the alarming increase in it is reflected in data: in the last 12 months, 243 million women and girls (aged 15 to 49 years) from all the world have suffered sexual or physical violence by a romantic partner.

We are talking about a time when many women and girls have to live day after day with their aggressor in a context of social isolation and with inaccessible or interrupted support services, in many cases.

Precisely, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the organizations Metropolis, Cities Alliance and UCLG launch a campaign that focuses on violence against women and girls in urban spaces around the world, both in the private and public spheres, digital spaces and even in governments and institutions themselves.

Under the slogan

Let's free our communities, cities and metropolises from gender-based violence

, they urge local, regional and metropolitan governments to urgently adopt an approach that takes into account the gender perspective in all efforts and services to respond to the crisis of the pandemic.

Building Safer Metropolises: Inspiring Initiatives and Practices

Some governments at the local and metropolitan level have begun to take this issue seriously, especially in times of pandemic and social isolation.

As an example, some of the initiatives included in the collaborative platform Cities for Global Health: In Bogotá the

Safe Spaces

strategy has been created

in partnership with 630 stores and supermarkets to prevent and attend to cases of domestic violence.

In Brussels, for their part, they have launched the campaign

Nothing justifies domestic violence

 to raise awareness about domestic violence, which has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic.

Only by designing public policies that address urban inequality can we reduce gender-based violence.

The Government of the City of Buenos Aires has recently added a new service channel to provide information, support and advice in cases of gender violence: Boti, the city's WhatsApp, for those who need help, they can request it automatically through the chat no need to talk on the phone.

As the organizations promoting the aforementioned campaign point out, this violence is nothing more than the result of the existing gender inequality in urban areas, multiplied and exacerbated by the pandemic, as we have just seen.

Furthermore, it is a question derived from multiple overlapping public and private, socio-economic and political factors.

Therefore, public interventions aimed at eradicating it go through addressing the underlying causes of such violence, including social and cultural norms based on gender.

In other words, only by designing public policies that address urban inequality can we reduce gender-based violence.

But fundamentally, all these demands and proposals end up in the same sea: the need to rethink our cities and metropolises so that they are more inclusive, where the authorities, at all levels, work hand in hand with women and girls, listen to their experiences and needs, and involve them in urban design and planning.

Let's turn the Covid-19 crisis into an opportunity to eliminate violence against women and girls from our urban spaces once and for all.

Marta Briones

is a journalist specialized in International Relations.

Committed to issues of global justice, human rights and international cooperation, she currently works as a communication technician in Metropolis, a worldwide network of large cities and metropolitan areas.

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2020-11-27

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