Photo Credit: Vivek Singh/UNDP India

The global campaign on 16 days of activism against gender-based violence is an opportune time for all of us to reiterate our commitment to address violence against women and girls. What is the first step you will take today? The time to act is now!

We were struck by the news when the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) for Round 5 (2019-2021) was published in late November. The survey showed important progress in several areas such as declining fertility rates and more women operating their own bank accounts. The evidence on violence against women drew our attention.

In Telangana and Karnataka, for example, more than 80 per cent of men and women justified a husband hitting or beating his wife for a “reason” (National Family Health Survey Round 5 (2019-2021), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India).

Disaggregated data throws worrying insights. Almost 80 per cent of women and 76 per cent of men in both States justify violence. According to the survey result, in as many as 18 States, violence in the marital relationship is justified under one pretext or the other.

While the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) launched the She-Box (MWCD has the centralised complaints portal She-Box for sexual harassment complaints and they have linked it to all the Central Ministries, Departments and 653 districts across 33 States/Union Territories: http://www.shebox.nic.in/), the online portal for complaints of sexual harassment of women at workplaces, there is still inadequate data available about cases of harassment of women at workplaces.

The NFHS 5 findings on safety of women at home raise important questions for women outside the home. What happens to women who go out to work in formal and informal settings? Are unsafe workplaces and public spaces holding back women from full participation? These are questions to consider as the world unites this year to commemorate 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence. 

The economic and social benefits of an equal workplace are too high to ignore. It is estimated that equal participation of women in the workforce could increase India’s GDP by 27 per cent. Thus, the low participation of women in the labour force speaks of unrealised potential. More than 90 per cent of women in India are engaged in the informal sector where protective guarantees against harassment and exploitation are weak, or almost non-existent. Workspaces are diverse and so are the privileges and risks.    

How can workplaces be made more equal and safe for women? Instituting a zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment and exploitation is the first step. Matching this policy with intent and action is the second step. Investing in dialogues that encourage staff — men and women in all their diversities — to safely examine their own attitudes and biases is crucial. These steps will remain only a good intention if workplaces do not invest clear budgets for preventing and responding to violence against women at work and changing prevailing norms that hold women back.   

One important element in changing social norms at work is having more women in visible positions of decision making within an organisation. These women leaders bring greater diversity and are more likely to advocate changes to the workplace that keep women safe. Greater diversity in the workforce has other benefits too — more equality in the workforce is equated to more innovation, and improved productivity. The representation of women in decision making bodies can inspire an entire generation of young girls to dream big and realise their full potential.

An important point of intervention can be helping women transition from the informal to the formal sector, where there are more legislative protections against sexual harassment. UNDP through its Plastic Waste Management Programme in 33 cities in 22 States is helping reduce risks of women employed in waste management. It works with the cadre of Safai Sathis providing them with better livelihood opportunities, financial stability, and access to social security schemes.

The Swachchhta Kendra (material recovery facilities) operate with fixed timings where sanitation, menstrual hygiene management and creche facilities are integrated. It is graduating towards women-led self-help groups managing operations at the Kendra. It has given women identity, dignity and respect within their families and communities.

UN Women’s Second Chance Education Programme enables women to re-enter formal education, learn vocational and entrepreneurial skills and connects them to formal employment and business opportunities. Since 2018, the programme has worked in 12 districts and four States. More than 15,000 women from some of the poorest and most vulnerable areas after having finished school have been trained and they have found jobs. Importantly, bringing these skilling opportunities to the women has allowed them safe access since they don’t have to negotiate unsafe transport to skilling centres.

Infrastructure is an important element for keeping women and girls safe in public spaces on their way to and from work. The women-only carriages on the Delhi Metro are a good example of this. But what happens once women and girls disembark from these trains and then walk the last miles home, sometimes in the dark? Investing in street lighting and last-mile public transport connectivity will greatly improve women’s mobility to workplaces.

Similarly, well designed, safe, clean and adequate toilets in public spaces and workplaces for women — or gender responsive infrastructure — can be transformational for it enables women and girls to participate equally in education and jobs.

In order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality, we need to make all spheres of our daily life safe: home, public space, work and the online environment. This requires an integrated approach - from legislatures, the government, private sector, communities, and homes.

The global campaign on 16 days of activism against gender-based violence is an opportune time for all of us to reiterate our commitment to address violence against women and girls. What is the first step you will take today? The time to act is now!

The writers are-

Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP India

Susan Ferguson, Country Representative, UN Women Office for India

The article was originally published in The Pioneer