Plan International's "Adolescent Girls’ Views on Safety in Cities"
In 2012, a Because I am a Girl (BIAAG) Urban Programme study was conducted to understand how safe and inclusive cities were for adolescent girls and was carried out in Cairo, Delhi, Hanoi, Kampala, and Lima. The specific research questions asked were: 1. How do adolescent girls perceive their current city in terms of its safety and inclusivity, and how is this different from the views of other stakeholders in the community? 2. How do the five cities compare to each other, and what are the global trends that emerge? 3. What steps should be taken by the BIAAG Urban Programme to improve the situation for adolescent girls in each city?
Written by Janice Wong
Girls’ Autonomous Mobility in the City
% of girls who reported feeling safe when walking in public spaces
% of girls who reported feeling safe when using public transportation
% of girls who reported having access to basic services, including water and sanitation
% of girls who reported having access to emergency services, including the police
% of girls who reported feeling included in decision making regarding safety issues that affected them
In each of the cities, girls share similar experiences of insecurity, of sexual harassment and of feelings of exclusion. They also share visions of future cities that are well-lit, well-planned, and well-maintained and where they are given space to participate. It is arguably the consistency of the vision expressed by adolescent girls both within and across cities that is most intriguing.
The full report can be found here:
http://www.planusa.org/stuff/contentmgr/files/5848557366630283d063c7ccf8212683/misc/adolescent_girls_views_on_safety_in_cities.pdf
In illustrating their visions of an ideal city, which were strikingly similar across the cities, girls and boys drew group maps that included the commonly recurring elements of:
• Access to emergency services
• Access to basic services
• Spaces for play and leisure
• Road infrastructure
• Markets and shopping areas
• Schools
• Transit routes
• Cleanliness
• Housing
• Religious institutions
Interestingly, girls' maps focused a lot on infrastructure, ensuring, for example that hospitals, schools, markets, playgrounds and buses are easily accessible. Boys' maps in contract showed that they placed greater emphasis on having places to go for leisure purposes.
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