PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY

365 DAYS OF LOCAL ACTION TO END VIOLENCE AND

COUNTRY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND GENDER JUSTICE SUMMIT AND AWARDS DATE VENUE

EMPOWER WOMEN

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HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT IDENTIFYING THIS PROBLEM?

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Public spaces and facilities by design or by neglect can lead to women feeling unsafe, or can be spaces in which women are attacked and abused.

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HOW ARE YOU GOING ABOUT ADDRESSING THI S PROBLEM?

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The methodology Tshwaranang adopted, and taken forward in Katlehong by Remmoho, is the womens safety audit. Our safety audit took a non-traditional route by using photography to capture and explore the concerns of our female participants. In a multi-lingual country such as South Africa, photos have the benefit of portraying ideas that may otherwise be lost in translation. Engaging with local government. TLAC and Remmoho selected women members to be trained as photographers, and groups of their members have been involved in community level engagement of municipalities and ward councillors on the outcomes of the safety audit.

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WHAT IS THE TIME-FRAME FOR THE PROJECT?

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Between August and December 2011, the project stimulated various constructive engagements between the Katlehong municipality, ward councillor and project participants, and some progress in addressing problems highlighted by the audit has been achieved by the municipality. This monitoring of safety concerns and action by the municipality continues, and women participants hope that, in 2012, they will be able to do another safety audit to monitor all of the improvements that have resulted from this initial safety audit.

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IS THIS ISSUE IMPORTANT?

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WHEN WOMEN ARE FEARFUL AND RESTRICT THEIR MOVEMENTS, THE ACTIVITIES THEY PARTICIPATE IN, AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS THEY MAKE IN DIFFERENT SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SPHERES, THIS HAS DEVASTATING IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL WOMEN, THEIR MALE PARTNERS, THEIR CHILDREN, THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.

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WHO IS THE KEY TARGET? WHO IS INVOLVED? ARE WOMEN AND MEN EQUALLY INVOLVED?
PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY
The primary target of the project is decision-makers in local government and ward councillors specifically the City of Joburg and Ekhuruleni municipality. This has meant that we have worked very specifically with women but have targeted all actors (men and women) with authority and power to make different decisions, and redress problems in service delivery, urban spaces, transport and so on that create fear and vulnerability for women citizens. Ultimately, making public spaces safer for women makes them safer for men too.

PARTNERSHIPS FORMED THROUGH THE PROJECT

TLAC implemented the project In Katlehong, the safety audit together with the Remmoho stimulated collaboration Womens Forum which has a between project participants presence of women members and the local ward councillor, in Ekurhuleni, the Vaal and resulting in the installation of Soweto in the Gauteng 30 new toilets on the water Province. borne system, the cutting of A dialogue has been initiated high grass on road verges, the between participating women fixing of broken streetlights, from Remmoho and other and a commitment to install community structures and new street lights in 2012. decision-makers/implementers Town Hall Meetings in the Johannesburg Metro and the Ekhuruleni municipality.

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RESOURCEFULNESS: WHAT FINANCIAL, HUMAN AND OTHER RESOURCES WERE MOBILISED?

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The project involved a professional photographer (to provide the initial training), disposable cameras, the reimbursement of womens travel costs to TLAC and municipal offices and a website developer. The choice of disposable cameras (provided to us at discount) reduced costs considerably, as all women did not have cell phone cameras capable of taking quality pictures. The only challenge to the project has been the local councils insistence that the women meet at their offices. Given that Remmoho members are unemployed they have needed to rely on TLAC to support their participation in these meetings. The local council could be more accommodating of this very real constraint.

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PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY

CREATIVITY: ARE YOU USING ARTS, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO POPULARISE THE ISSUES?
TLAC decided to use photography, combined with the written word, as the main and non-traditional tool for the safety audit. In a multi-lingual society, a reliance on the visual allows for a powerful expression of and sharing of ideas even without a common language. The selected photographs and explanatory narratives from the safety audit team were placed on a website and widely publicised to the media and target group/s. The safety audit, the online exhibition and various discussions/activities surrounding this were well publicised through the Tshwaranang Facebook page, the TLAC web site and also highlighted via the Shukumisa Campaign twitter account.

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MONITORING AND EVALUATION

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We routinely track hits to the Town-hall meetings online exhibition through engagement with community statistics provided by and local government Wordpress. There has also councillors been follow-up contact with Remmoho every six weeks or Community Orientated Results more to discuss responses to - the installation of 30 new the project, including toilets on the water borne challenges (which have chiefly system, the cutting of high related to travel costs). grass on road verges, the fixing of broken streetlights, and the realisation of the commitment to install new street lights in 2012.

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WHAT RESULTS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED?

PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY
In Katlehong, the safety audit Ten women were trained in resulted in a dialogue between photography and successfully Remmoho, project participants undertook a safety audit in their and the local ward councillor, communities of Katlehong, resulting in the installation of Naledi, Braamfontein and 30 new toilets, the cutting of Evaton. Many of the women high grass on road verges, the were excellent first-time fixing of broken streetlights, photographers and built and a commitment to install confidence, gained new new street lights in 2012. leadership and team building skills, and found the photographic safety audit an empowering experience.

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IMPACT (BASED ON THE SADC PROTOCOL TARGETS)

PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY

Target 1: To ensure that urban

planning, service delivery and decision-making processes at provincial and municipal level do not undermine womens ability to exercise and enjoy the full range of human rights. Target 4: Young girls and women, would feel safe and move around freely, enjoy uninterrupted access to education, information and the ability to participate in decisionmaking processes at community level and beyond etc.

Targets 9, 10 and 11: Failure to

ensure the safety of women and their freedom of movement undermines womens equal access, benefit and opportunity to participate in trade and entrepreneurship. Laws and programmes for employment and economic empowerment should concretely advance womens safety, and provide support for their unpaid care work.

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IMPACT (BASED ON THE SADC PROTOCOL TARGETS)

PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY
Target 23: A project such as Target 24: Projects such as this provides a platform for the this, if adequately supported identification of womenand responded to by specific services, such as government, would result in hygiene and sanitary facilities safer public spaces for women that may not ordinarily be in the city, thereby protecting provided for in the planning of women from gender based public spaces. violence and reducing new HIV infections.

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SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION

PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY The great power of the safety audit is that it is very costeffective, could be done with minimal resources, and implemented at the local level with support from a sympathetic local municipality. A committed local municipality could very well conceptualise safety audits as part of their machinery of tools for ensuring public participation in their planning and budgeting processes, and their accountability to women citizens in their jurisdiction.

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LESSONS LEARNED
PROJECTS: SUB CATEGORY Local government managers were invited to speak at the public launch of the exhibition, which generated intense dialogue The importance of local government engagement with the community. This safety audit was an experimental pilot. We now know that this methodology is effective at the individual and community level and also increases womens ability to advocate for their rights at grassroots level. Another valuable lesson was the importance of involving local government in the project.

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ANY QUESTIONS?

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