Gender-Based Violence Against Women in Urban Areas

Any act of gender-based violence that causes or is likely to cause physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or the arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life, is considered to be violence against women.

In the spirit of 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, today we look at violence against women in urban areas. As we know in as much as men also face GBV, women are the most affected. We’ll look into what factors make it more likely for women to experience this violence and what should be done.

When it comes to physical and sexual abuse, poverty is an issue. Therefore, research implies that poor women are more exposed to the risk of violence and less able to escape violent circumstances. As a result, they are frequently the most vulnerable to violence.

Violent crime is made worse by the fact that people are forced to live in unsafe settlements in improvised housing mostly in urban slums. This leaves women with little options for formal or informal protection, making them exposed to rape, theft, and break-ins. In fact, there are several locations within low-income urban areas where gender-based violence happens more frequently. For instance, there is evidence that women and girls run the risk of violence and attacks if they walk alone to use sanitation facilities that are far from their?houses, especially at night. Another example is schools. Young school girls especially those who have to travel far to get to school and back home with no guardian or security are at a greater risk of facing physical or sexual violence especially from strangers and even people who know them.

The high prevalence of gender-based violence is also linked to locations where alcohol is purchased and consumed. It has been noted that bars, clubs, and pubs—which are typically concentrated in cities but are also unavoidably found in rural areas—are particularly risky places for women to visit or even pass by. Males frequently frequent bars and other places where people drink, whereas women frequently avoid them out of concern that drunk men would harm them. Whether they are alone or in a group of males, women who frequent pubs are frequently at danger of encountering gender-based and particularly sexual violence.

Certain open public areas in cities, particularly in slums, are also linked to the use of violence against women or to a fear of it. People have been attacked in urban regions, where life is faster and busier than in rural areas and nobody has stepped in to assist them because everyone was too busy on their way.

It is not surprising nor rare to hear about violent incidents occurring in urban cities at locations like rowdy bus stops, crowded, open streets, and secluded?passageways. When taking public transit, women frequently encounter sexual harassment and violence. To begin with they have to navigate dangerous lanes without sidewalks and dimly lighted streets just to get to the transportation. The extent to which a lack of safe transportation erodes the options that women and girls have for education and work was documented in a case study on women and transportation. For instance, a woman could be hesitant to put in extra time or leave the office late because she is concerned for her safety, especially after dark.

Women identified the major obstacles to their public mobility as insufficient street illumination, bad road conditions, overcrowded and infrequent buses, in addition to the daily barrage of harassment (verbal abuse, catcalls, unwanted and unconsented touching) by public service vehicle operators as well as fellow passengers.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Investments in victim shelters and domestic violence prevention.

Initiatives for education and employment that offer young people healthy substitutes for crime.

For women to use public spaces and services securely, improvements must be made in transportation, lighting, water, and cleanliness.

Legal assistance and campaigning to assist women in claiming their rights to housing and other benefits so they can gain independence from men who abuse them.

Mentorship and counseling programs that support young men in developing nonviolent manhood expression.