Our ‘Safe City is a Smart City’ conference, which was attended by many distinguished police officials, politicians, social activists, and academicians who are all committed to the cause of improving the safety of all inhabitants of cities.
The conference resulted in a 20 point joint agenda for which can be read below.
- Removal of stigma associated with women who are abused and assaulted; shift the blame to the perpetrators
- Ensuring amiable work environment to increase the proportion of women in police forces.
- Ensure timely justice through setting up systems such as single window clearance for speedy implementation of schemes and policies of the government.
- Gender sensitization trainings of police to handle cases of violence against women
- Encourage and incentivize police officials to take up the role of police trainers
- Work towards for better working conditions for the police force
- Increase collaborations and partnerships between police and civil society
- Work towards changing public image of police to inculcate more faith in the police
- Draft consolidated national goals regarding women’s issues that civil society organizations can work towards in a unified manner
- Specialized hospitals or forensic labs should be set up for survivors of gender based violence
- Utilize current research and consider recommendations of national organizations and committees while charting action plans
- Increase new research initiatives on appropriate technologies to combat the prevalent forms of violence
- Compulsory introduction of gender sensitization for children and youth in school curricula
- Increase access to special police cells for women and refocus police priority on gender sensitive law response instead of providing unprofessional mediation services.
- Compilation of national and international level best practices on battling gender based violence
- Encourage change from below through community involvement and exploring potential for (and risks of) community policing; particularly in urban areas
- Broaden the working definition of safety to include aspects of general wellbeing, happiness and access to spaces
- Ensure gender budgeting at the law making stage
- Ensure an intersectional approach to safety
- Challenge patriarchy at all levels, beginning with the family
We look forward to implementing these points together with all our partners. Some of the points, CSR has been working on for many years already. CSR has for example conducted many gender sensitization trainings with police units across the country. Additionally we have been challenging patriarchy and stigmas haunting women who have been sexually assaulted ever since CSR existed. We believe that in collaboration with other stakeholders, we can achieve even more than we have already done so far. To take further the movement for safer cities, we require everyone’s involvement. Therefore we invite everyone to share their opinions about the 20 point agenda. Let’s bring about an all-inclusive revolution to ensure a future with safer cities for all.
