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http://www.wunrn.com

 

http://www.huairou.org/19feb

 

TAKE ACTION ON FEBRUARY 19, 2013 - DELHI & BEYOND

Women's Global Action for Safer Cities

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:

  1. Cordoba, Argentina
  2. Rosario, Argentina
  3. Dhaka, Bangladesh
  4. Patacamaya, La Paz, Bolivia
  5. Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
  6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  7. Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  8. Montreal, QC, Canada
  9. Peel, ON, Canada
  10. Regina, SK, Canada
  11. Toronto, SK, Canada
  12. Yellowknife, NT, Canada
  13. Bogota, Colombia
  14. Medellín, Colombia
  15. San Salvador, El Salvador
  16. Suchitoto, El Salvador
  17. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  18. Guatemala City, Guatemala
  19. Livingston, Guatemala 
  20. Brajrajnagar, India
  21. Delhi, India
  22. Noida, India
  23. Pathankot, India
  24. Casoria, Italy
  25. Naples, Italy
  26. Caanan Heights, Clarendon, Jamaica
  27. Kingston-St Andrew, Jamaica
  28. Portmore, Jamaica
  29. Almaty, Kazakhstan
  30. Mombasa, Kenya
  31. Monrovia, Liberia
  32. Chihuahua, Mexico
  33. Mexico City, Mexico
  34. Kathmandu, Nepal
  35. Lima, Peru
  36. Trujillo, Peru
  37. Mandaue City, Philippines
  38. Manila, Philippines
  39. Warsaw, Poland
  40. Bangkok, Thailand
  41. Kampala, Uganda
  42. Edinburgh, UK
  43. Baltimore, USA
  44. Brooklyn, USA
  45. New York, USA
  46. Philadelphia, USA
  47. Washington, D.C., USA
  48. 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