Experts are calling for cities designed for women and by women to create safer environments

Surveys cited by the World Bank also show that 50-70% of women in Indian cities avoid public transport for fear of harassment. | Photo credit: HS Manjunath

Scientists, government officials, police and women’s rights activists came together on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) to call for cities designed for women and by women. Such proposals would allow women to move about, access public spaces and participate in economic activities in a safe environment, they argued.

The national consultation was organized to mark 15 years of the UN initiative for women’s safe cities and safe public spaces.

“Safe cities are no longer just about preventing violence, but about how women move around cities, enter public spaces and participate in economic activities,” said Rajib Kumar Sen, Program Director, NITI Aayog.

“There is an opportunity in India’s women-led development to make urban planning more inclusive, to build a virtuous cycle of meaningful access for women to cities,” he added.

According to a World Bank analysis of India’s 2011 census data, 45.4% of women walked to work, compared to 27.4% of men. Surveys cited by the World Bank also show that 50-70% of women in Indian cities avoid public transport for fear of harassment.

A 2012 UN Women and International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) baseline survey found that 92% of women in Delhi had experienced some form of sexual violence in public spaces and only 5% considered these spaces safe.

Partners in design

Stefan Priesner, UN Resident Coordinator in India, said: “Participation matters: the value of moving from designing ‘for’ to designing ‘with women’ is essential to building safe cities. Women and girls should be partners in designing public spaces, not just users.”

“A truly safe city is not a city with fewer incidents of violence, but a city where women have real freedom of decision and freedom of choice in planning their daily lives without compromising security and have a meaningful voice in shaping the design of the city,” he added.

Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women India representative, said: “Our vision is for cities and public spaces where women and girls do not have to negotiate their safety every time they step outside, and where mobility expands their possibilities, not limits them.”

New Delhi was one of the initiative’s five founding cities, alongside Cairo, Kigali, Port Moresby and Quito.

The initiative now includes 75 cities in 36 countries. In India, this work also links to broader efforts such as women-friendly tourism destinations and safe tourism destinations in Madhya Pradesh and Kerala; safe and enabling public spaces in Jabalpur; supporting women in the spice and cotton industries in Rajasthan and Kerala; and efforts to secure the tea sector in Assam.

Published – 17 Sep 2026 02:30 IST