Moderator • Ms. Ana Falu, Director of the Housing and Habitat Research Institute of Architecture, National University of Cordoba, Argentina Panellists • Ms. Arlene Bailey, Founder, Fletchers Land Parenting Association, Member of the Huairou Commission and GROOTS International (Grassroots Women’s Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood) • Ms. Caroline Moser, Director, Global Urban Research Centre, University of Manchester, United Kingdom • Ms. Liliana Raneiro, Director, Argentina Centre for Exchange and Services and Coordinator of Women and Habitat Network Latin America, Argentina • Ms. Nilcéa Friere, Minister of the Special Secretariat of Policies for Women, Brazil • Ms. Rebecca Reichmann Tavares, Regional Program Director, Brazil and Southern Cone, United Nations Development Fund for Women, Brazil • Ms. Sandra Beatriz Rojas-Sandoval Cupe, City Councillor, Ayacucho, Peru • Ms. Anna Tibaijuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN‑Habitat
A. Highlights of the round table 89. Ms. Tibaijuka said that successful approaches to improve women’s safety must start with the planning of urban spaces. She added that the fear of urban crime and violence could be as damaging and inhibiting to women as actual violence in public spaces. Fear was lingering and pervasive and affected the ability of women to participate in public life, to be healthy and to exercise their right to the city. She said that in 15 years of working with local authorities on improving urban safety UNHabitat had identified that good governance and equitable participation of women in decision making about urban spaces were key elements of success. 90. Ms. Friere emphasized that women should not be treated as passive subjects. Instead, they should be empowered to voice their own ideas on how to make cities safer. She explained that Brazil had a national plan of action on policies for women, which also addressed urbanization and women’s safety. In addition, 24 out of 27 states in Brazil had their own
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Report of the fifth session of the World Urban Forum Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
gender departments that implemented gender policies at the local level, including those on improving the safety of cities. 91. Ms. Falu said that globalization and urbanization added to complexities in understanding violence against women. That, she said, was because when public spaces were unsafe, fears grew and women’s use of the city became limited. She also stressed the need to create enabling environments where women could be free of violence, whether at home or in public spaces regardless of their colour or where they lived in the city. 92. Ms. Tavares introduced the UNIFEM Global Safe Cities Programme, a new $16 million flagship initiative that was meant to be a catalyst for local governments and civil society to tackle sexual harassment and sexual violence against women in cities. The programme advocates a zero tolerance policy on violence. 93. Ms. Raneiro said that, while many governments already had national conventions to protect women’s rights and guarantee their safety, there was still a need for greater involvement from local authorities. She said that government mechanisms to ensure the participation of women’s groups and civil society in the decision-making would make local authorities more accountable. She also stressed the importance of statistics and gender analysis about violence in cities. 94. Ms. Bailey spoke of her personal experience in founding the Fletchers Land Parenting Association. The group advocated community parenting to assist families, particularly families led by single parents. It operated under the premise that if children were taught to reject violence early in childhood, they were less likely to engage in violence. She emphasized the importance of including men in the community project and educating them about their role as fathers and in promoting gender equality. 95. Ms. Rojas-Sandoval Cupe said that, although local governments were aware of legal frameworks at the national level to protect women’s safety and their rights, they often did not prioritize the issue. That said, however, the representation of women in politics could help to make government policies and programmes more gender‑responsive. 96. Ms. Moser noted the shift in paradigm from talking about violence to talking about safety and security. Although that shift emphasized positive interventions, some commentators were wary that it could gloss over institutional