Resources

Around the world, troubling levels of violence against women result in a restricted or complete lack of rights and opportunities for women and girls. For a majority of the world’s population, who is increasingly concen- trated in large cities, this violence takes place in public spaces which are not restricted by jurisdictional borders, i.e., the metropolitan territories that to a great extent are managed by the members of Metropolis.

That is why we have been, since the approval of our Action Plan 2018- 2020 last year, reinforcing the initiatives of our association that promote the incorporation of gender perspectives not only in the organizational structures of our metropolises, but also in the drafts of every public policy, and in the management of every public service.
Metropolis advocates for engaged metropolitan governance that attends to social life in all its complexity, seeking to enhance the quality of life of all citizens living in metropolitan spaces. It is part of our mission, therefore, to raise awareness of how our members are building fairer and more inclusive places to live and thrive, through the coordination of policies that promote gender equality.

This report, commissioned to Women In Cities International, a remarkable network focusing on gender equality and the participation of women in urban development, addresses the lack of safety that women and girls face in public spaces, and presents the findings of a review of the policies and programmes that metropolitan governments have established to proactively respond to these concerns. It sheds light on the involvement of our members to ensure that women and girls have the right to the metropolitan city, by mapping policies, strategies and instruments that foster safer and more accessible streets, squares, parks, neighborhoods and eventually the totality of metropolitan public spaces.
These are real experiences that we hope will multiply all over the planet, and contribute to two crucial Sustainable Development Goals that humanity must reach until 2030: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, and make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.