WUNRN
Women, Girls, Safe Spaces
Direct Link to Full 32-Page Publication:
English: http://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/woman%20space%20E.pdf
Arabic: http://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/woman%20space%20ARABIC.pdf
The
creation of women and girls safe spaces has emerged as a key strategy
for the protection and empowerment of women and girls affected by the
Syrian crisis. This document provides an overview of what safe spaces are,
and what key principles should be followed when establishing such spaces
in humanitarian and post-crisis contexts.
What are women and girls safe spaces?
A safe space is a formal or informal
place where women and girls feel physically and
emotionally safe. The term ‘safe,’ in
the present context, refers to the absence of trauma,
excessive stress, violence (or fear of
violence), or abuse2. It is a space where women
and girls, being the intended
beneficiaries, feel comfortable and enjoy the freedom to
express themselves without the fear of
judgment or harm.
The key objectives of a safe space are
to provide an area where women and girls can:
• Socialize and re-build their social
networks;
• Receive social support;
• Acquire contextually relevant skills;
• Access safe and non-stigmatizing
multi-sectorial GBV response services
(psychosocial, legal, medical);
• Receive information on issues relating
to women’s rights, health, and services3.
These spaces may take different names
such as women centers, women community
centers, or listening and counseling
centers, to name a few. Women safe spaces are not
the same as shelters or safe spaces at
reception centers or one-stop centers4.
Why women and girls safe spaces?
In most societies, women have limited
space to meet, and public spaces are often
inhabited largely by men5. Traditionally,
women’s responsibilities include taking care
of children, cooking, carrying out
household chores, and generally looking after the
family. While these roles may change
during crisis, where women may find themselves
working or becoming the breadwinner,
they remain responsible for the household
nevertheless.
“For many girls in the developing world,
the opportunity to move freely in the community
becomes limited at the onset of puberty”6. Parents often
keep their daughters inside the
house, protected from any contact with
males. “This unofficial restriction on female
mobility tends to persist throughout
life. While not necessarily codified in a specific
way, there are functional curfews for
women in many parts of the world—be it in an
urban park in a Western country, or in
an impoverished community in the developing
world”7.
In the Syrian context, women have become
more isolated as a consequence of the
crisis. Their mobility has been curbed
significantly. Women and their family members
reported having limited movement of
women and girls outside the home due to fear of
sexual violence, harassment, and indiscriminate attacks8.