The Huairou
Commission and its Safer Cities network partners urge you to join an action
that goes beyond raising awareness about violence to feature HOW grassroots
women and women's organizations partner with government authorities to
concretely build safer cities.
On Tuesday, February 19, we (the Huairou
Commission, Women in Cities International, Women
and Habitat Network Latin America, Jagori, GROOTS
International, ICWIF and FEMUM-ALC) are calling upon feminist
organizations, grassroots women's groups and local governments
to participate in a global day of action, Delhi and Beyond: Concrete Actions
for Safer Cities. On this day, women and local authorities will jointly
sign agreements identifying a concrete action they will advance to make their
city safer for women and girls.
As UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet
said in a recent speech,
global awareness and momentum on ending violence against women and girls has
never been stronger. “With leading women’s organizations, including Women in
Cities International, the Huairou Commission, Jagori and Women and Habitat
Network in Latin America, we strategically placed gender equality and women’s
empowerment and safety of women in public spaces within activities of the
UN-Habitat’s Global Network on Safer Cities."
Now is the time for us to take
collective action. On February 19, we want to celebrate existing partnerships
between grassroots women and local authorities and forge new commitments for
long-term engagement.
Poor and grassroots women have expanded the definition
of Violence Against Women and Girls beyond the more widely acknowledged
physical, psychological and sexual violence. Violence includes such acts as evictions,
lack of access to basic care and gang violence in neighborhoods. Any
steps to mitigate these forms of violence for women and children can be part of
our global day of action.
We’ve already
surpassed our goal of 30 cities signed on to our global day of action, and more
are signing on each day:
- Cordoba,
Argentina
- Rosario,
Argentina
- Dhaka,
Bangladesh
- Patacamaya, La Paz,
Bolivia
- Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Montreal,
QC, Canada
- Peel,
ON, Canada
- Regina,
SK, Canada
- Toronto,
SK, Canada
- Yellowknife, NT, Canada
- Bogota,
Colombia
- Medellín,
Colombia
- San Salvador, El Salvador
- Suchitoto, El
Salvador
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Guatemala City, Guatemala
- Livingston, Guatemala
- Brajrajnagar, India
- Delhi,
India
- Noida,
India
- Pathankot, India
- Casoria,
Italy
- Naples,
Italy
- Caanan Heights, Clarendon, Jamaica
- Kingston-St Andrew,
Jamaica
- Portmore,
Jamaica
- Almaty,
Kazakhstan
- Mombasa,
Kenya
- Monrovia,
Liberia
- Chihuahua, Mexico
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Kathmandu, Nepal
- Lima,
Peru
- Trujillo,
Peru
- Mandaue City, Philippines
- Manila,
Philippines
- Warsaw,
Poland
- Bangkok,
Thailand
- Kampala,
Uganda
- Edinburgh, UK
- Baltimore, USA
- Brooklyn,
USA
- New York,
USA
- Philadelphia, USA
- Washington, D.C., USA
- Harare,
Zimbabwe
EXAMPLE ACTIONS
In Guatemala, local women’s groups are requesting that the new mayor
of Livingston meet with them and adopt the system of safety indicators
that grassroots women have been implementing in 18 neighborhoods. Grassroots
leaders in Guatemala
City are organizing
a meeting with the Vice Minister of Safety in the Ministry of Internal Affairs
to push for commitment on legislation on femicide.
In Harare, Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association is setting
up a meeting with the local authorities to get their commitment to clear areas
with long grasses, install street lights and deploy municipality police in
dangerous areas and also allocate market stalls to grassroots women.
In Almaty, Kazakhstan, Crisis Center "Podrugi" is seeking to reach
an agreement with the Mayor of Almaty on protocol on inter-department
cooperation to help victims of domestic violence.
In Warsaw, Hollaback! Poland is looking to get a letter of Intent
signed by the President of Warsaw declaring and committing herself in front of
the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment, grassroots women's groups
and feminist organizations, academics, and of course Hollaback! Polska to
delegate administration representatives, police representatives, as well as
herself to participate together with Hollaback! Poland in safety audits which will be organized in Poland during the Anti-Street Harassment Week, April 7-13,
2013.
HOW TO JOIN
Please use the form below to submit your information
ASAP.
Please fill out as much information as possible. If you
have questions, please email Cathy Toledo: cathy.toledo@huairou.org
c/c Carolina Pinheiro: carolina.pinheiro@huairou.org