Greater Chennai Corporation initiates evidence-based study on women’s safety

In an attempt to make public transport services and public places safer for women, Greater Chennai Corporation’s Gender and Policy Lab has initiated an evidence-based study that will provide recommendations to different departments to make infrastructure and services better for women and girls. 

The Gender and Policy Lab was set up by Greater Chennai Corporation in February 2022, under the Nirbhaya Funds as part of the Chennai City Partnership between the Government of Tamil Nadu and World Bank. In a baseline study on 'Women’s Perception Regarding Access and Safety in Public Spaces and Public Transport' released in November last year, 62% of women surveyed in Chennai said no one intervened when they faced harassment.  

“The second and latest study stemmed from our findings of the first study, examining the travel patterns of women—the average distance they travel every day for work and other purposes and the ten most widely used routes—among other things,” says a senior member at the Gender and Policy Lab.

The new study will explore aspects such as the profile of women commuters and the topmost safety concerns that need to be addressed.

“These include improving the lighting in and around bus stops, creating comfortable seating for women who are travelling with children, setting up bus stands in a way that doesn’t allow for sanitation hazards such as public urination and defaecation, and ensuring last-mile infrastructure,” she adds.

The study will be conducted in the coming months, followed by due processes of meetings, data collection, and fact finding.