15 Global Examples of Measures Against Gender-Based Violence
Public transport is for everyone. And the measures we take to improve the safety and security of women and girls benefits all passengers.
So what sort of measures are already being taken? UITP surveyed more than 50 public transport organisations from over 10 countries to inform research on gender-based violence in urban mobility. And we also collected examples of action from around the globe.
Here are 15 examples of action, including from across the public transport sector.
15 Examples of Action from Authorities, Operators, and More
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Come on, Amsterdam!
That’s the call of Amsterdam’s city hall to residents, encouraging them to take action on discrimination and gender violence. The campaign shares the diverse experiences of its citizens and outlines guidelines on how to react and report harassment.
‘Kom op Amsterdam’ advertisements were viewed 2.8 million times, with more than half of Amsterdammers recognising the campaign.
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), United States
‘Not One More’ brought together local outreach and youth organisations with the public transport operator BART, from the San Francisco Bay Area.
A community-driven initiative, the campaign engaged young women to discuss their experiences on BART in an effort to develop cultural strategies to tackle gender-based harassment and violence.
In addition to posters with safety tips in stations and trains, BART also ran shorter trains to eliminate empty cars – where participants reported feeling unsafe – while increasing service on nights and weekends.
Surveys on the impact of Not One More show that these campaigns can and do work:
- 65% are more aware of sexual harassment/gender-based violence
- 59% now know what to do if they witness harassment/gender-based violence on BART
- 36% felt safer riding BART
CCR Metro Bahia, Brazil
CCR Metro Bahia opened an area at Pirajá Station to offer women psychological, social, and referral services. With a specialist team, the staff has helped the operator react quicker to incidents and better support victims.
In its first year, the initiative served more than 100 women.
CHANGE
CHANGE (City Hub And Network For Gender Equity) collects experiences from cities worldwide on how they tackle gender-based violence in public transport, building a diverse toolbox of news, op-eds, and insights from key experts.
Like UITP, they are global. CHANGE was founded by the mayors of six cities: Los Angeles, Barcelona, Freetown, Mexico City, London, and Tokyo.
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
IsThisOk? Is a campaign from Greater Manchester, the UK’s second most populous urban area. Based on the authority’s gender-based violence strategy, it brought together over 65 organisations to share insights and raise awareness of unwanted behaviour against women and girls, including on public transport.
This goes alongside initiatives like a live chat to report concerns, improved lighting and CCTV coverage, and tackling antisocial behaviour in schools and colleges.
London, United Kingdom
Part of the London Mayor’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and the city’s commitment to the UN Women Safe Cities, it asks organisations that operate at night to champion women’s safety with various measures:
- Run awareness campaigns
- Train staff
- Encourage reporting
- Design safer spaces
So far, £100,000 has been invested in training and resources, with a steering group formed to embed best practices across London. Explore the charter toolkit.
Metro de Santiago, Chile
The metro operator of Chile’s capital implemented a direct line number to report sexual harassment. When citizens of Santiago call 1488, their concerns can be dealt with quickly and guided on how to proceed.
Metro Lisboa, Portugal
Lisbon’s metro operator, in partnership with the local police, launched a “be alert” safety campaign. Bilingual and based on simple language, it raises awareness among metro passengers of abnormal behaviour, including sexual harassment.
New South Wales (NSW) Government, Australia
“Street harassment has no grey area”.
To tune of a $30 million AUD investment, NSW’s Safer Cities Programme tackles street harassment against women, girls, and gender-diverse people. The programme’s survey confirms why confronting gender-based violence is so important to improve accessibility and inclusivity in public transport:
RATP, France
The strategy of Paris’ RATP against harassment is wide-ranging. It includes free training guidelines to deescalate situations, the installation of safe spaces, deployment of trained staff, CCTV cameras, and a 24/7 hotline.
Respect Victoria, Australia
Respect Women: Call it Out. That’s the title of Respect Victoria’s campaign to open the discussion around sexual harassment on public transport and give citizens the tools to call out inappropriate behaviour. As well as that, it outlines what to do if you are experiencing gender-based violence, how to report it, and how to seek further assistance.
This campaign coincided with the 2019 16 Days of Activism from UN Women, and brought together 17,000 people across 288 events and activities.
Transport For London (TfL), United Kingdom
How to get home at night? What’s the best way to hail a taxi? And how can you report gender-based violence or a sexual offence? TfL’s “Safer Travel” includes tips and information to get home safely, especially at night.
Transport For London (TfL), United Kingdom
Do you have the time? What’s the next stop?
No, those aren’t TfL’s frequently answered questions from their Safer Travel campaign – though they are tips from a TfL campaign to defuse antisocial behaviour on public transport.
Here is the insight that led to campaign:
The campaign provides that information, inspiring Londoners to help prevent/intervene harassment against women and girls on the TfL network with simple questions and by documenting the incident.
UN Women
NoExcuse. This international campaign of UN Women raises awareness of gender-based violence and outlines the actions that stakeholders can take to prevent it.
