GENDER TRAINING FOR PUBLIC SAFETY
A report by the 3D Program found that violence against women and girls (VAWG) in public spaces hampers participation in public life and jeopardizes access to educational and livelihood opportunities and services and entitlements across sectors. Surveys, mapping and audits confirm that hotspots of VAWG exist everywhere in public spaces. What is rarely mapped is which authority is accountable for the safety of girls and women in those spaces and what they can do to effectively prevent and respond to VAWG. The burden of ensuring their safety must not fall on individual girls and women. The 3D Program is working in partnership with local government and police officials to strengthen responses by public officials and systems. This includes training for public officials on how to prevent incidents of violence in their jurisdictions; effectively identify and respond to survivors of violence using existing protocols in a way that meets their immediate needs, protects their rights and does not further traumatize them; and connect them to other services to meet long-term needs.
In partnership with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation and with Mahila Sarvangeen Utkarsh Mandal (MASUM), the 3D Program developed and delivered a training program for MSRTC depot workers, drivers and conductors in Purandar taluka, Pune District. The training program will be replicated with transportation workers across the district and adapted for use in other sectors, including the police and education officials.
Read more in our report Working Together for Girls' and Women's Safety in Public Spaces: Lessons from India